Matt hadn’t realized how much he’d missed you until you walked back into his life. It had been years since you left, years of him silently carrying the weight of his feelings for you, never daring to speak them aloud.

The city had changed, but his feelings hadn’t. As soon as he saw you, he was struck by the overwhelming urge to tell you everything — the truth about how he felt. But he couldn’t. Not now, with everything so uncertain.

You weren’t just back in town. You were a potential target for Kira.

Matt couldn’t help but worry for you. You had been away for so long, and now, with the news of Kira’s next victims spreading, you were suddenly thrust back into the danger zone. And there he was, stuck in the shadows, watching you from a distance, unable to tell you what had been on his heart for years.

He had always kept his feelings hidden, behind the smoke of his cigarettes and the mask of indifference he wore. But now, seeing you again, everything felt different. The fear of losing you had taken over. He couldn’t lose you now — not when he’d waited so long for this moment.

But how could he protect you? How could he tell you that the feelings he’d kept buried deep inside were all for you, without endangering you even more?

He stood at a distance, watching you as you moved through the crowd. His heart raced, but all he could do was wait. Wait for a chance to speak, wait for the right moment, if there ever was one.

Before he could stop himself, before he could second-guess his actions, he was moving. He pushed through the crowd, his pace quickening as he neared you. His breath caught in his throat, and before he could even think about it, he reached out, grabbing your arm.

You stopped, your eyes wide in surprise as his grip tightened, not harshly, but desperately.

— “I should’ve told you back then, but I didn’t have the courage,” Matt murmured, his voice low and raw. He felt his heart race even faster now, the words trembling on the edge of his tongue. "I’ve always... I’ve always felt this way."