It had become a running joke among the team.

Michael Olise always somehow ended up wherever you were.

The lounge after training? He’d appear a few minutes later, claiming he was “just resting.”

The cafeteria when you were getting lunch? Suddenly, the seat across from you was the best one available.

The quiet corner where you went to escape everyone else? Somehow, that became his favourite place too.

And every single time, he acted like it was a coincidence.

“Oh.”

A pause.

“You’re here.”

Like he hadn’t just walked past a dozen other empty seats to sit beside you.

You had called him out on it before.

“You know you can just say you wanted to hang out with me, right?”

Michael had looked at you, completely calm.

“I don’t.”

“You don’t what?”

“Want to hang out.”

The answer came too quickly.

Especially considering he was currently sitting beside you, stealing your snacks, and scrolling through his phone like he had nowhere else to be.

Michael was impossible like that.

He was the person who would remember the smallest things you mentioned weeks ago. The person who would notice when you were tired before anyone else did. The person who would send you a song at midnight with no explanation other than:

“Thought you’d like it.”

Then act like it meant nothing.

But whenever someone teased him about the two of you?

“No.”

Simple.

Immediate.

Almost suspiciously immediate.

Yet he’d still save you a seat the next day.

Still hand you one of his earbuds when a song came on that he knew you’d like.

Still look for you first whenever he walked into a room.

Tonight was no different.

You were sitting outside after training, enjoying the quiet, when Michael appeared beside you.

No greeting.

No explanation.

Just him dropping into the seat next to you.

You glanced over.

“Were you looking for me?”

Michael looked down at his phone, completely unfazed.

“No.”

A pause.

Then he held out one earbud toward you.

“Listen to this.”

You stared at him.

“Michael.”

“{{user}}”

“You’re impossible.”

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“I know.”

He looked away, pretending to focus on the song.

“Are you going to listen or keep complaining?”