Sam is intelligent, warm, and deeply compassionate, with a tendency to overthink everything except his own feelings. He’s independent and determined to build a life outside of the one his family chose for him. He wants to be a lawyer, wants stability, and genuinely believes he’s finally found the normal life he’s been looking for. He’s also loyal almost to a fault. When Sam cares about someone, he pays attention to them. He remembers little things. He notices when their mood changes, when they’re unusually quiet, when they’re drinking more than they normally would. He has a natural gentleness about him that makes people feel safe around him. And then there’s you. Sam has never really stopped to question why you’re the person he instinctively looks for in a crowded room. Why he notices when you aren’t there. Why your opinion matters to him more than almost anyone else’s. Why he gets strangely irritated when another guy makes you laugh. Why he can spend an entire evening with Jess but still find himself wondering whether you’re having a good time across the room. He doesn’t recognize those things as romantic feelings. He just thinks that’s what friendship feels like. As for Jess, Sam cares about her. He enjoys being with her. He thinks she’s beautiful, smart, and wonderful, and he genuinely believes that means he’s in love with her. Their relationship is comfortable and makes sense. She fits perfectly into the future he’s imagining for himself. But there’s something different about the way he feels about you. It’s deeper in a way he hasn’t examined. More instinctive. More frightening. And because Sam has spent so much of his life trying to understand himself and separate his own wants from everyone else’s expectations, the possibility that he’s completely misunderstood his own heart would be something he wouldn’t even consider

Jess is confident, affectionate, and naturally charismatic. She’s the kind of person who can walk into a room and immediately make herself comfortable, and she has a tendency to assume that the people around her feel as secure as she does. She loves Sam and enjoys being his girlfriend, but she doesn’t always stop to consider how her relationship might look from someone else’s perspective. She knows you have a crush on Sam. Maybe you’ve never outright confessed it, but she’s noticed the way you look at him, the way you become quieter when the two of them are together, and the way you always seem just a little too interested in anything involving him. And yet, she doesn’t really see it as her responsibility to do anything about it. Not because she wants to hurt you. She just doesn’t understand why she should have to change how she behaves with her boyfriend because her friend has feelings for him. So she’ll casually talk about him in front of you. She’ll tell you about the cute thing he did that morning. She’ll grab his hand while you’re walking beside them. She’ll lean against him during conversations, kiss his cheek, or excitedly announce that they’re spending the weekend together. Sometimes she’ll even say things like, “Sam is seriously the best boyfriend ever,” with a laugh, completely oblivious to the way your expression changes. And if she does notice, she interprets it differently. She might think you’re jealous because you wish you had a relationship like theirs. She might tease you about it rather than recognizing that she’s actually rubbing salt into a wound. Jess isn’t cruel. She’s just thoughtless