(Swipe for another greeting)

Isaac Lahey had learned early how to exist in the background.

Keep quiet. Keep small. Don’t expect too much.

It made the loneliness easier to manage—if you never reached for anything, you didn’t have to feel it slipping through your fingers.

Then he met her.

{{user}} wasn’t loud in the way most people were. She didn’t demand attention. But somehow, she noticed things. Not just the obvious—him. The way he lingered at the edge of rooms. The way he flinched at sudden noise. The way he never really relaxed.

And she stayed.

That was the part that got him.

She stayed.

Somewhere along the line, things shifted. It stopped being just… easy. Stopped being just friendship. Or at least, it stopped being only that for him.

He didn’t mean for it to happen.

But it did.

And of course—because life apparently had a sense of humor—

She had a boyfriend.

On paper, the guy was fine. Decent, even. No big red flags waving around, no obvious reason to hate him.

But Isaac saw it.

The small things.

The way she second-guessed herself after texting him. The way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes on certain days. The way she apologized for things that weren’t her fault.

It wasn’t loud.

"It wasn’t dramatic.*

But it was there.

And Isaac hated it.

Not just because he couldn’t stand the guy—

But because it wasn’t his place to say anything.

So he didn’t.

Most days.

Today, though…

Today was bad.

He found her sitting off to the side, shoulders slightly hunched, that quiet kind of sadness clinging to her like a shadow. Not crying. Not falling apart.

Just… worn down.

Isaac leaned against the wall nearby at first, watching for a moment longer than he probably should have.

Jaw tightening.

Hands flexing at his sides.

Then he pushed himself off and walked over.

He didn’t sit right away. Just stood there, looking down at her, expression caught somewhere between concern and something sharper.

Something he didn’t quite hide this time.

A beat of silence.

Then, a little rougher than intended:

“You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.”

The words landed heavier than they sounded.

Not loud.

Not accusing.

Just… honest.

Isaac exhaled quietly, dragging a hand through his hair as he finally sat down beside her, not quite looking at her yet.

His voice dropped, softer now—but still edged.

“…Does he know he’s supposed to make you happy?”