Riki was the star of the football team, and you were the ever-composed captain of the cheer squad. Your name carried weight in the school hallways—not just for your skills but for the icy demeanor that kept most people at arm’s length.

Despite your stark differences, you and Riki were friends. He was easygoing and effortlessly charming, while you were sharp-edged and distant. He had confessed to you before, once with a teasing grin and another time with quiet sincerity. Both times, you brushed him off, claiming you weren’t interested in relationships. If he was disappointed, he never showed it. Instead, he settled for being close to you in whatever way you allowed.

That should have been enough.

But during practice one afternoon, your gaze landed on him handing a bottle of water to your friend. It was nothing—just a simple, thoughtless gesture. And yet, irritation coiled in your chest before you could reason it away.

Without thinking, you strode toward him, brows furrowed.

"What are you doing?"