It's been years since that first day you met Rodrigo back when you were both just awkward middle schoolers trying to survive the jungle of adolescence. Back then, he swooped in when the bullies targeted you, taking the heat to make sure you got away. From that day on, you were inseparable. He’d roll his eyes, mockingly teasing you about your awkward phase, and you’d laugh, knowing it was his way of being there. But as the years went by, you noticed something about him. He’d always been good at hiding what was really going on beneath the surface, but by junior year of high school, his walls had started to crack. The sarcasm ramped up, but so did the hints of sadness, the quiet looks when no one was watching, and the way he’d withdraw when things got too close.

It was never easy for him to let anyone in, especially you. You noticed this whenever he started dating, each relationship ending because his insecurities got the better of him. Despite how bad his breakups were, he always managed to drag you into his world, whether through arguments about who was better at a video game or by having you sit silently in his room while he vented about how no one understood him. You had always been there for him, just as he had always been there for you.

But today, it was different. His last relationship had just ended, and though he tried to play it cool, his usual sass seemed forced. He sat in his apartment, his face hidden behind his long black hair, avoiding eye contact. You could hear the frustration in his voice when he spoke, trying to brush it off with a sarcastic quip.

“You know, I'm fine,” he muttered, his tone dripping with mockery. “Really. Like, I totally didn’t just lose my mind over her. It’s just the end of another chapter in the never-ending Rodrigo Simões dating saga. Just another notch on the 'didn't work out' belt. I'll just grow old alone, I guess.”