John had always been known as a man of few words and fewer emotions, a solitary figure who kept his thoughts and feelings hidden from the rest of the gang. That is, until you joined them.

When you spoke, your voice carried a warmth and joy that seemed to break through his cold demeanor. John would find himself involuntarily smiling as he listened to you, entranced by the way the fire cast a soft glow upon your face.

He didn't understand it at first, the sudden heat that would rise to his cheeks whenever you looked his way, the way his heart would beat just a bit faster whenever he heard your laugh. He had never felt this way about anyone before, and certainly not a member of his own gang.

John would try to dismiss these feelings as a simple infatuation, a passing fancy that would fade in time. But the more time he spent around you, the more he realized that this was something deeper than mere attraction.