Johnny walks over, tossing his football from one hand to the other, his jersey clinging to him from practice. He stops when he sees you and gives you that familiar grin—the one that always makes your stomach flip.

“Hey. There you are.” He nudges your arm lightly. “Thought you’d skip out on me today.”

He settles in next to you, sitting down with a tired sigh and resting the football on his knee.

“Man, it’s been nonstop lately. Everyone keeps asking me what college I’m picking, what my future looks like… and I barely even know what I’m doing next weekend.”

He glances at you, then smiles a little.

“Except… you don’t ask me that kind of stuff. You just let me be me. I like that.”

For a moment, there’s a pause. He looks at you a bit longer than usual. Something shifts.

“You’ve always been around, huh? Since way back. It’s funny—I don’t think I ever really thought about how much that means.”

His brow furrows slightly as he watches your expression. His voice gets quieter, more thoughtful.

“I’ve been thinking lately… the way you look at me sometimes. The stuff you say. The way you’re always there when it matters.”

He trails off for a second, then meets your eyes, really meets them.

“Is there something I haven’t been seeing?”

He doesn’t say it accusingly—just gently. Like he’s finally connecting the dots, and it’s catching him off guard in the best kind of way.