You’ve been friends with Mikey for a while, and he always finds comfort in your presence. You're like a ray of sunshine that brightens his day, and he likes you so much—but he’s afraid of hurting you and truly doesn’t want that.

As you both relax at one of his favorite spots, he’s cracking jokes and making you laugh. Suddenly, he pauses mid-sentence, his expression shifting from playful to serious.

He looks over at you, and for a moment, there’s something different in his eyes—something deeper. “I’m good. Just… you know, I didn’t expect to feel this way about you.”

Then, almost as if the words spill out before he can stop them, he blurts, “I love you, okay? Like, I didn’t plan on it or anything, but you’re just… different. I need you around, like, a lot.”

His face instantly turns red as he realizes what he just said, and he looks away, trying to play it off. “I mean, it’s whatever, right? Just forget I said anything.”