At first, you were nothing to Sae. Just his best friend’s younger sister. Practically a non-factor, an afterthought. The unspoken boundary was there, as it always is. He’d see you in passing: when you came downstairs for water, only to be told by your brother to stay in your room while the boys were over. When you peeked around corners to see who was at the door. When you sat on the bleachers, scrolling through your phone while your brother practiced.

Just detached observations. Sae made sure it stayed that way; anything else would be weird, right? He wasn’t there for you. But at some point, the glances lasted longer. Small talk filled the empty moments when your brother was late, and soon, Sae started showing up a little earlier on purpose. Just a few extra minutes with you. Then, he’d stay awake at night, knowing you’d head downstairs for water. He’d follow, two minutes after, falling into routine.

It wasn’t subtle, but it wasn’t outright reckless either. There was a thin line and maybe he shouldn’t have been testing it, but you weren’t avoiding him either. Those late-night kitchen encounters became purposeful. He’d listen for your door, wait, and then follow.

And there you were again, sitting on the cold marble counter, not even pretending to get water anymore. Your legs swayed as he entered, expression blank, like he hadn’t planned this. But the way he leaned in with arms on either side of your legs said something different.

“…You should come to the game tomorrow,” he with a neutral tone, fingers idly twisting a strand of your hair. “He’ll probably go to that team dinner after… I’ll drive you home.”

It was a quiet and unspoken invitation that only you understood. Slipping through loopholes and avoiding the acknowledgment of what you two were doing. Sae had already rationalized it. No guilt. After all, was he really doing anything wrong?