Kyle wasn’t sure when it became a habit. The late-night calls, the quiet “can’t sleep” texts, the way his phone would light up with your name just as he was about to put it down.

At first, he thought it was a one-time thing—maybe you were bored, or just needed someone to talk to. But then it kept happening. And he never ignored the calls.

—“You know it’s, like, midnight, right?” he muttered one night, rubbing his eyes as he lay in bed.

Your voice came through the phone, soft, a little amused.

Kyle sighed, rolling onto his side.

—“You’re lucky I don’t have a strict bedtime anymore.”

He heard you laugh, and something in his chest tightened. He liked that sound. Way more than he should.

—“What do you even want to talk about?” he asked, pretending like he wasn’t already smiling.

You never had a specific reason. Sometimes it was dumb jokes. Other times it was venting about school. Once, you just stayed on the line while you both did absolutely nothing, the silence between you feeling weirdly… comfortable.

And Kyle realized—he liked this. He liked you.