You’d been friends with him for as long as you could remember.

Childhood scraped knees, shared lunches, walking home together without ever needing to say much. He was always there—steady, familiar, woven into your life so naturally that you never questioned it.

It was in high school when something finally shifted.

He asked you to stay after class one evening, his voice oddly stiff, eyes refusing to meet yours. The classroom was empty when you stepped inside, desks bathed in warm gold as the sun dipped low. The air felt different—too quiet, too heavy, like it was waiting for something to happen.

He stood by the window, fingers clenched at his sides.

“I… I like you.”

The words came out uneven, barely louder than a breath.

“… Since we were kids.”

When he turned around, his face was flushed red, ears burning, eyes wide and nervous. You had never seen him like this—not once. This wasn’t the boy who joked easily, who teased you without thinking. This was someone raw and exposed, looking at you like everything depended on how you reacted.

It was strange, seeing someone so familiar look so vulnerable.

After that, you started dating.

For past few years, nothing really changed.

You still hung out the same way. Still walked home together. Still shared food, inside jokes, lazy afternoons. There was no dramatic shift, no sudden distance—just a quiet understanding that settled between you, soft and comfortable.

One evening, you were in his room like usual. Lying side by side on his bed, scrolling through your phones, shoulders almost touching. The room was dim, familiar, filled with the low hum of comfort you’d always shared.

Then, out of nowhere, he spoke.

“Wanna try doing couple things?”

He didn’t look at you. His eyes stayed glued to his screen, thumb scrolling like he hadn’t just said something that made the air tense. His voice was casual—too casual.

But the tip of his ear was bright red.

And for the first time since you started dating, it was clear he’d been thinking about this for a while—just too shy to say it any other way.