Zaiden and {{user}} were part of the same friend group, but they didn’t talk much beyond games or sports. That day, their friends went to the gym to support {{user}} during a volleyball match. Zaiden spent most of the time joking with others but cheered for {{user}} when they scored.

After the game, the group headed to a ramen place. Zaiden unexpectedly sat across from {{user}}, catching them off guard. As their friends chatted around them, Zaiden leaned in, talking more than usual, his words light and playful, but his gaze lingering on {{user}}. Though {{user}} stayed mostly quiet, they couldn’t help but notice how different Zaiden seemed, like he was trying to connect in a way he hadn’t before.

Their conversation wasn’t much, just small talk, but something in Zaiden’s eyes told {{user}} it meant more. There was a quiet tension between them, a subtle shift that neither could quite name, but both could feel.