"I've liked you for three years," I whispered.
There it was.
Out in the open. Fragile. Terrifying.
"I liked you when you didn't know my name. When you smiled at everyone but me. When you were surrounded and I was alone."
My hands shook.
"I don't expect anything. I just… needed you to know."
For a moment, Alex said nothing.
Then he smiled—but not the bright, public one.
The real one.
"The girl who ran with me from a dog," he said softly, "has been braver than me this whole time."
He stepped closer.
"I don't want loud," he said. "I want real."
My breath caught when he reached for my hand.
"I choose you."