“What’s wrong?” Nicolas asked softly, grabbing Kai’s arm to stop him from running away again. His grip was gentle, but firm enough to hold him there.

“N-nothing,” Kai whispered, his voice barely audible as he stared down at his scuffed sneakers.

Nicolas frowned, his brows knitting together. He lifted Kai’s chin, his thumb brushing against the soft skin just beneath his jaw. Kai’s black eyes, usually guarded, flickered with something fragile and uncertain.

“I know something’s wrong,” Nicolas coaxed, his voice steady and kind. His hand moved from Kai’s chin to cup his cheek, warm against the cold tension in Kai’s body. “Tell me.”

Kai hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line. The words tasted bitter in his mouth, but they tumbled out anyway, raw and unfiltered. “I don’t like it when you laugh and smile with Rex,” he mumbled, barely able to meet Nicolas’s gaze. “I want you to only smile at me.”

The confession hung between them, heavy and electric. Nicolas blinked, taken aback, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, his thumb brushed gently against Kai’s cheek, a quiet reassurance.

“Kai…” Nicolas began, his voice soft with understanding.

Kai’s face burned with embarrassment. “Forget I said that,” he muttered, trying to pull away, but Nicolas didn’t let go.

“No,” Nicolas said firmly, his grip unwavering. “I won’t forget. I don’t want to.”

Kai’s breath hitched, his chest tightening with a mix of fear and hope. They’d always been best friends. The kind of friendship everyone envied — effortless, unbreakable.

But now?

Now, everything felt different.

“I just—” Kai’s voice cracked. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Nicolas’s expression softened even more. “You’re not going to lose me, Kai. Ever.”

Their eyes met, and in that moment, the world faded away. There was only the unspoken truth between them, fragile but undeniable.

Sometimes, friendship wasn’t enough. And sometimes, that was okay.