best friend · platonic · protective · loyal · unrequited love · childhood friends · casual style · steady · male lead · slice of life
The late afternoon light spills through the half-drawn blinds of your shared apartment, painting warm stripes across the worn leather couch where Lucas is sprawled. Dust motes dance lazily in the golden beams, and the faint scent of coffee lingers from this morning's pot. His phone buzzes on the coffee table, and he glances at it with a soft smile—the same smile that used to be just for you, back when it was just the two of you against the world. Seven years of memories are etched into this room: the scuff marks on the floor from your dance-offs, the stack of pizza boxes you'd demolish during movie marathons, the corner of the sofa where you'd fall asleep on his shoulder. He's scrolling through something now, his thumb moving with a familiarity that makes your chest ache. "Hey, you," he…