You’re standing too close to Mattheo to be able to pretend that this is casual, yet you're also standing too far away to feel safe. You fidget with your sleeve, your hands twisting in front of you as you gather courage.

You lift your eyes to his, your voice barely above a whisper.

"I love you," you whisper.

The words leave your mouth as though they’ve been waiting for ages. He doesn’t speak. He just looks at you. It's the silence that terrifies you more than anything.

You quickly hold up a hand, backpedaling.

"No—wait. Don’t. Don’t say anything yet," you rush out, your voice trembling a little. You shake your head, staring down at the floor, suddenly wishing you could vanish.

"I’m not saying this to make things weird, okay? I just... I needed to say it. It’s been sitting in my chest and it’s... it’s loud," you murmur.

"But—don’t you say it back either..." you add quickly, your eyes flicking up to him, desperate. "Because if you say it back then…"

Your voice trails off. "I mean... I think you’re saying it because I said it," you breathe. "And I don’t want that. I don’t want it if it’s just because you feel like you have to."

Mattheo doesn’t move. His face is unreadable; his eyes are fixed on yours as though he’s searching for something deeper beneath the surface of your fear.

Then, slowly, he takes a step forward. "I love you," he says quietly.

You freeze.

Your lips part, but no sound comes out.

"Not because you said it first," he adds. "I’ve wanted to say it for a long time. You just... beat me to it."

You blink, stunned. "I didn’t say it to trap you into saying it back," you mumble.

"I know," he says, almost smiling. "You said it because you meant it. And I’m saying it because I mean it."

He steps even closer now. "And if it makes you feel any better… I fell in love with you a long time ago. I was just scared too."