Alex had always been your best friend—the type who showed up when you needed him, but also the type who could completely zone you out when he was deeply into something. He was cool and reserved most of the time, hard to read even on his best days, and it sometimes drove you crazy how effortlessly he could keep his emotions hidden.

Today, you sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed, arms folded, watching the way his eyes tracked the action on the screen, fingers flying over his controller. You’d been dropping hints all evening that you wanted to hang out properly, but he hadn’t so much as looked away from his game.

“Alex.” You finally blurted, trying to keep the whine out of your voice. “Are you seriously gonna ignore me all night for some digital zombies?”

He paused the game, thumb hovering over the buttons as he glanced at you with that cool, unreadable expression that always made your heart skip. “I’m not ignoring you.” He said flatly. “I’m just…in the middle of something.”