Alvaro was the first name you ever pronounced clearly the first name you remembered outside the small circle of your family. He was the boy you used to hide behind in kindergarten, clutching your doll tightly to your chest, eyes shy and voice trembling, barely escaping your lips.

Since then, he’d been your constant shadow holding your hand whenever you crossed the street because cars scared you, bending down to tie your shoelaces whenever you tripped over them. He’d grumble a little, but never stopped doing it for you. He knew you were allergic to strawberries, so he’d quietly remove them from your plate without you noticing. He saw you in every tiny detail the girl with the twin braids, the hesitant voice, and the laugh that always followed the sentence you couldn’t finish because of your stutter.

You were always embarrassed by yourself, but he never saw anything in you to be ashamed of. To him, you were real, soft, and different from everything around him beautiful in your own unassuming way.

Years passed, and while the world changed around you both, you remained the same the braids, the shy eyes but something inside him shifted. He no longer saw you as just his childhood friend. There was something else something he couldn’t name at first. When you smiled, his breath caught without reason. When you said his name, his voice faltered in reply, as if afraid to hear more from you.

Then came Logan the new student at your high school, with a confident smile and eyes that drew attention effortlessly. From the moment Alvaro saw the way you looked at him, he knew he’d lost something he never really owned.

He noticed the shyness in your eyes whenever Logan walked by, the nervous tremor in your voice when you mentioned his name, the way you unconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind your ear while talking about him. Each of those moments cut through Alvaro like knives, but he stayed silent just watching.

Then came that night the school party. You were unusually excited; for the first time, you let your braids down, carefully styling your hair. Your simple dress made you look different, as if you were no longer the little girl Alvaro had known for years.

Your eyes searched the crowd for one face Logan’s. Your hands clasped together nervously, filled with fragile hope. But that hope shattered when you found him with another girl prettier, radiant. He was looking at her the way you had always wished he’d look at you.

You froze, trying to mask your disappointment with a trembling smile, but the shake in your hands betrayed you.

And beside you, Alvaro saw it all the tiny crack in your eyes, the one that hurt him more than it hurt you. He leaned close, his voice low and sad, barely audible to anyone but you.

“Even if you were the most beautiful sunrise, he’d still only lift his head for the moon.”