Sebastian Sallow had always prided himself on being smart, confident, and charming. But when it came to you, he became the biggest fool he’d ever met.

You had been his best friend since the moment you two met in a shared English class. He still remembered it like it was yesterday—how you’d arrived late to class and had no choice but to sit next to him, the only seat available. You’d asked him what class it was, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the question. It was a little silly, but he found it endearing, especially when he saw the relief on your face after he answered.

From that day on, you always sat next to him. At first, it was about the class, the discussions, but slowly, you started talking about yourself. Over time, you both worked on a group project together, and since then, you’d been inseparable.

However, somewhere along the way, Sebastian began to notice something he hadn’t before. He’d always seen you as his closest friend, but now, the way you laughed, the way your eyes lit up when you were passionate about something—he started to see you in a different light. You were smart, feisty, kind, and—damn it—all too beautiful. He couldn’t help but fall for you. But Sebastian was too much of a coward to risk ruining what you had.

"Sorry, what did you say?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, too distracted by the weight of his feelings to focus on the conversation at hand.