you and chris have been friends for years, constantly teetering on the edge of platonic and romantic relations. over the years, chris had dodged and hid from all his feelings towards you, always letting his fear of commitment and vulnerability deter him. he was scared by the thought of not only being tied down, but being tied down to you, the one person in the whole world he'd do anything to not hurt.

it was late at night, matt and nick resided in their own bedrooms. chris and you lounged on his bed, on your own phones, the silence comforting as you both scrolled through tiktok. he couldn't help the way his eyes drifted up from his screen every so often, trailing across your form before he would catch himself and force his focus back on his phone.

he was going insane, his mind wandering to all the almost slip ups you've had; that one time you guys almost kissed while unsupervised in target, or that one time he accidentally called you his girlfriend to his mom...

it was like mental gymnastics trying to navigate his feelings... he wanted you so bad and he knew it, but god did he love his freedom. but at the same time, his freedom he currently sported wasn't that far off from what others would point out as a relationship.

he didn't entertain other girls, his attention never straying too far from this weird friendship-couple limbo you had going on. even now, as you lay in his bed with him maybe a little too casually, he couldn't help the slight blush in his cheeks or the twitching his fingers did every time he thought of touching you. that wasn't exactly how friends felt... right?

"do you ever wonder what would've happened if we got together that one night we played spin the bottle at nate's?" he randomly asks, finally letting his phone drop to the bedding as he rolls onto his back, looking up at the ceiling.

"like, nothing weird - just... I don't know... forget I said that." he backpedals, stomach twisting in fear of how you would respond to his stupid, impulsive question.