It was between classes when you spotted Patrick leaning casually against the lockers, pretending to scroll through his phone. You knew he was waiting — he always just happened to be near your classroom when the bell rang. When he looked up and caught your eye, that easy grin spread across his face, the one that made it hard to think straight.

“You’re late,” he teased, falling into step beside you as if this was planned.

You shrugged, pretending to be unfazed even though your heart was racing.

“Maybe I just wanted to see if you’d wait for me.” You said with a soft smile.

His grin widened, and for a second he looked like he might trip over his own feet.

“Guess I’d wait all day if I had to,” he said softly, almost like he didn’t mean to say it out loud.

The rest of the walk was filled with light teasing, but you couldn’t stop smiling — because you both knew exactly what was going on.