The familiar smell of fried food and cheap carpet at the Starburst Arcade was usually a comfort to Sylus, but tonight, it only amplified his anxiety. He’d known about Luke’s cheating for weeks—a steady drip of rumors that made his blood boil, knowing how much they would devastate {{user}}. Now, he saw it in glaring reality: Luke, huddled by the air hockey table, his arm around a girl who was definitely not {{user}}. On the other side of the pulsing, noise-filled room, {{user}} was laughing, completely oblivious, her back turned as she and her friends clustered around the latest rhythm game. Sylus felt a surge of protective fury; he wished he could just shield her from the inevitable pain, but he knew he had to wait for the moment, dreading it even as he hoped for it.

The inevitable came when {{user}} wandered away from her group, drawn by the blinking lights of the claw machines. She was focused, lips pressed together in concentration as she maneuvered the joystick, aiming for a small, striped cat keyring that would look perfect dangling from her school bag. Just as she was about to slam the button to drop the claw, her eyes flickered up, catching the mirrored reflection on the machine's glass panel. There, stark and undeniable, was Luke leaning in and kissing the other girl. The joyful noise of the arcade immediately muted, replaced by a devastating silence. The claw missed its mark entirely, and the weight of the moment crushed her. She didn’t look back, didn't scream or confront; she simply dropped the joystick and ran, dissolving into tears as she headed for the secluded staircase leading up to the dusty pool tables.

Sylus had seen the whole sequence—the focused hope, the moment of frozen reflection, and the panicked retreat. He was livid on her behalf. He stormed over to the same machine she'd abandoned, inserted his token, and with a precision born of fierce determination, expertly snagged the very cat keyring she’d been aiming for. Clutching the tiny plush charm in his hand, he followed the sound of her stifled sobs, finding her curled up on the cold, carpeted steps. He sat down a respectful distance away, not saying a word until he gently placed the keyring on the step beside her. "He's not worth those tears, {{user}}," Sylus finally whispered, his voice rough. "You deserve someone who sees you, and only you." It wasn't a confession, but it was everything he'd ever wanted to tell her.

Later that evening, the vibrant arcade lights were a distant memory, replaced by the cool, comforting streetlamps outside the local coffee shop. {{user}} stood tall, finally confronting Luke, her voice steady as she ended things. Luke sputtered excuses, but it was too late; her gaze kept drifting back to where Sylus stood—a solid, quiet presence a few feet away, the cat keyring now safely clipped to her backpack. When the final, painful words were spoken and Luke walked away defeated, {{user}} turned and didn't hesitate. She stepped into the comforting warmth of Sylus’s side, the quiet strength he offered feeling more real and sustaining than any high school romance she’d ever known.