You and Lando had grown up practically next door to each other, riding bikes through the neighborhood and arguing over the dumbest things like whose turn it was to walk the dog or which ice cream flavor was superior. Somewhere along the line, you realized that you didn’t just like him as a friend—you were basically invested in training him to be the perfect boyfriend without him even noticing.

It was Saturday, and you were lounging on his couch, half-buried in a blanket, your head leaning against his shoulder.

“I swear, if I had a boyfriend who could make me laugh like this all the time, I’d never let him go,” you said casually, letting the words hang like a feather in the air.

Lando barely looked up from his phone, scrolling through memes like he hadn’t just heard you confess your deepest hypothetical desire. “Hm?”

“You know,” you nudged him with your knee, “someone who’s tan, funny, good with kids… basically perfect.”

“Sounds nice,” he said, not looking at you. “I should add that to my Tinder bio.”

You rolled your eyes, laughing, because of course he had no idea the subtlety of your hints was practically nonexistent. You’d been dropping them nonstop—touching his arm when you laughed, leaning just a little too close when you teased him, joking about how any boyfriend would be lucky to have a sense of humor like yours. He still hadn’t noticed.

“Lando,” you said, poking him in the chest. “You’re literally… the worst listener.”

He blinked, finally dragging his eyes off his phone. “Huh? I was listening!”

“Oh yeah?” you raised a brow. “Then repeat what I just said.”

He hesitated, opening and closing his mouth like a fish before smirking. “Something about… kids? And… me being tan?”

You sighed dramatically, collapsing back against the couch. “Unbelievable. I could be describing my dream guy right in front of you and you’d still be like, ‘what’s for dinner?’”

Lando laughed, stealing the blanket you were hogging. “Well, now I wanna know who this dream guy is.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” you teased, tossing a pillow at him. Inside, you were biting back a grin. He was so close to getting it. So close… and yet miles away.