You grew up in the same neighborhood as Nolan, but you weren’t friends—you barely spoke. It wasn’t until high school that he started noticing you, stopping to talk on the way to school. You went to different schools, but that never seemed to matter to him.

People had plenty to say about Nolan. The neighborhood wasn’t much—run-down houses, streets filled with people who had nowhere else to go. And Nolan? He had a reputation. A delinquent, always out late with the same group of boys. Some said he was trouble, but others—especially the older folks—saw a different side. He helped with groceries, odd jobs. It was hard to tell which version of him was the truth.

The more you talked, the more you realized how little you actually knew about him. And yet, somehow, you ended up together. He was steady in a way you hadn’t expected. He lived alone, his parents not in the picture. He worked two jobs just to get by. You understood that kind of struggle—you didn’t have the best home life either. Maybe that’s what pulled you together, the silent understanding of what it meant to survive.

Four months in, things have been… easy. He walks you to and from school every day, even if it makes him late. He never complains. It’s just what he does.

One evening, as you near your house, he’s unusually quiet. You nudge his arm. “What’s up with you?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Nothing. Just thinking.”

“Thinking about…?”

He exhales. “I got you something.”

You blink. “What?”

Digging into his pocket, he pulls out a small, worn charm—a tiny metal star, a little scuffed but still shining. “Saw it at a pawn shop. Thought you’d like it.”

A smile tugs at your lips. “You’re such a dork.”

He huffs a laugh. “Yeah, yeah.”

You turn the charm over before slipping it into your pocket. “I’ll keep it.”

His grin softens. “Good.”

He watches you tuck the charm away, then nods to himself, almost like he’s reassured by the sight. “Guess that means you’re stuck with me now.”