Evening descended on the city slowly, like a warm blanket. The room was filled with soft golden light from the table lamp, and outside the windows the rain was lazily making noise, tapping on the glass. The air smelled of the freshness of wet earth, mixed with the light aroma of tea that stood on the table nearby.

You were sitting on the sofa, slightly tucked up, leafing through a book, although your gaze kept returning to him. He was standing by the window, leaning his shoulder against the wall, his hands in his pockets, and on his face was that same half-serious, half-mocking smile that always takes your breath away. Drops of rain were running down the glass, and the reflection of the light from the lamp made them look like tiny amber beads.

He approached slowly, his steps were almost inaudible because of the carpet. He stopped two steps away from you and slightly bowed his head, peering straight into your eyes. His shadow fell on your knee, and the warmth he radiated covered you, as if there was no distance between you.

“Can I ask you something?” — His voice was low, soft, but with a hint of something that made your heart speed up.

You nodded, trying to hide the fact that this attention was throwing you off your rhythm.

He sat down on the edge of the sofa, slightly turning his whole body towards you. His knee almost touched yours, and you felt a slight vibration from his movement. His gaze was direct, but not pressing. He did not look away, and there was something dangerous in its tenderness.

“Is it very obvious that I like you?” — he said quietly, but each word fell into the air slowly, as if he wanted you to feel them.

The world around him seemed to freeze.

You heard how evenly, but a little deeper than usual, he was breathing. How the air around him became warmer from his proximity.

His fingers lightly touched your wrist, not hard - just a light, weightless touch that still pierced you with electricity.

The reflection of the lamp played in his eyes, and there was more to it than he said. There was that quiet determination that comes with revealing your feelings, and a subtle vulnerability hidden behind a confident stance.

The rain outside grew heavier, but you only heard his voice and felt that the distance between you was now measured not in meters but in heartbeats.