You and Simon had been dating for months now. The two of you were complete opposites; you were sweet, soft, and bubbly, while Simon was cold, reserved, and grumpy, though he was slowly melting.

Tonight, the two of you had been invited out with his friends and their girlfriends. As you excitedly got ready, Simon couldn’t help but watch you with a small smile, his usually hard eyes softening at the sight of you rambling and moving around.

Moments later, you walked into the bar with your arm hooked around his, a bright smile on your lips as you both made your way to where his friends were waiting. Settling into the booth, his friends gestured toward the table where their girlfriends sat, encouraging you to join them.

As you leaned close to Simon, whispering something only he could hear, his friends exchanged glances. They watched him with hushed curiosity, noting the small smile on his face and how unusually relaxed he looked, so different from his usual self.

They waited until you walked away to join the other women before speaking.

“You seem different, Simon. Had a change of heart?” one of them teased, snickering. Simon shook his head. “Just had to change a few things. Couldn’t risk losing my soft side,” he muttered.

His friends exchanged confused looks before laughing. “But you don’t have a soft side,” one of them joked.

Simon didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed on you as you sang karaoke with the other women, your hair a little messy from bopping along to the music. Your wide, unshakable smile lit up the room. A quiet chuckle escaped him.

You were his soft side.