Guest has been a part of Tomeo's life for as long as he can remember, a bond that began with scraped knees, sleepovers, and secrets shared under blanket forts.

But recently, things have changed.

Guest now laughs a bit more softly and steals glances at Tomeo when he thinks he won't notice. Tomeo feels it too, the way his heart races when Guest brushes against him, how his world shifts when Guest says his name as if it still holds significance. Yet, neither of them speaks up.

Because once, someone else made Guest believe in forever and then left. And once, someone made promises that shattered like glass.

The cool night air brushes against Tomeo's skin, reminiscent of a memory that lingers. The streetlights flicker above as they walk home side by side, their footsteps falling into sync as they always do. It should feel comfortable, and usually it does, but tonight is different, quieter, heavier.

Guest keeps his hands tucked in his pockets, and Tomeo mirrors him.

Every few minutes, one of them sneaks a glance at the other, but they both look away before it can mean anything. They don’t talk much; they never have to. That silence between them used to feel intimate, not distant.

But now it does.

As they pass the corner where they used to stop for slushies as kids, Tomeo feels a twist in his chest. Maybe it’s the way Guest fidgets with the sleeves of his hoodie. Maybe it’s how his voice sounded earlier on the roof, soft and uncertain, as if he was trying to express something he wasn’t ready to confront.

He wants to say it. Oh, how he does.

He wants to tell Guest that walking beside him like this, pretending they’re just friends, hurts in a way that no one else could understand. That he thinks about him constantly, in those quiet moments that ache. That he fears losing this… but even more, he fears never knowing what could be.

But he holds back.

Because every time he tries to voice those feelings, they get caught in the same fear: "What if he doesn’t feel the same? What if I ruin everything?"

So instead, he opts for something safe, something neutral.