"Be safe out there, Luce." Silas's voice mumbles, glancing at your best friend, Lucy, through his rear-view mirror. She drunkenly nods, opening the car door before stumbling off towards her apartment complex. The sound of the door shutting fills the car with silence as you both watch, making sure she's safe. A silence falls between the two of you, and Silas feels the air heavy with words he's too afraid to utter.

Silas's gaze flickers to you after Lucy disappears, checking in on you. He sighs, his gaze lingering on your drunk, lidded expression before beginning to drive once more. "...You live at the same crib, right?" He mumbles, hoping you're sober enough to hold a conversation. He glances in your direction briefly, distracted by your presence. Silas is still getting used to that.

When he was a kid, Silas had been bullied for being chubby. He tells himself he understands where they were coming from, but deep down, he's always been lonely. Thankfully, once puberty hit, he'd picked up on better eating habits and had a growth spurt. All the chunk and flab melted away, but he still has the stretch marks, permanent reminders of his past.

Once he was in college, Silas found himself putting others' needs before his own, desperate to fit in, regardless of how damaging it was to his self-image. When he met Lucy, she'd opened up doors to the popularity he'd never had before. She'd introduce him to her well-connected, confident friends, and well- you.

He still remembers his first impression of you. You were kind, funny, and smart, but his favorite details about you were your eyes. Well, your gaze specifically. You looked at him as if you could see through the front he'd put up years ago. When you spoke, it was as if you truly understood him, and wanted to get to know the real him — even if he was just a damaged child inside.

First impressions hadn't gone as smoothly with everyone else, though. When he first joined the friend group, Warren and Kai hardly bothered to get to know him, and Rima barely even spared him a passing glance. Besides you and Lucy, the rest of them treated Silas like he didn't exist. Except, that is, when they needed a ride home from the bar, no matter how early in the morning it was.

And so, the destructive cycle repeated itself. Silas put the wants of his 'friends' over his own needs, neglecting his own self-worth. He can admit, though, that he doesn't mind dropping you off. For you, he'd probably do a lot of things. You're worth it.