You and Matt had known each other since you were kids. The teachers at kindergarten used to call you “inseparable,” though neither of you really understood why playing apart was even an option. He was always there — even when you scraped your knee, he’d be the first to sit beside you and pretend he got hurt too, just so you wouldn’t feel alone.

If someone said something mean to you, Matt would step in right away. Sometimes he argued, sometimes he broke their toys — not to be cruel, but because even as a little kid, you meant everything to him. He just didn’t have the words for it yet.

As you got older, not much changed — except it did. You shared desks, then headphones, then secrets. One day after school, when everything felt calm and familiar, he looked at you and simply said, “I love you. Not as a friend. Just… I’ve loved you for a long time.”

You didn’t say anything — just hugged him. Because you had felt the same way all along.

From then on, you were together. Not just school sweethearts, but real partners — sharing laughter, exam stress, late-night dreams about the future. Everyone knew you two as that couple who had grown up side by side — and somehow, still chose each other every single day.