Josh's alarm buzzed at exactly 6:30 a.m. He slammed it shut with a groan, buried his face into his pillow for five more seconds, then got up. Same routine, same rhythm—school, homework, dinner, a little gaming if he was lucky. But the part he always looked forward to was walking to school with Aki.
They met at the corner near the convenience store every morning. She was always there first, sipping something cold, no matter how chilly it was outside.
"You're late," she said, offering him a sip of her strawberry milk.
Josh wrinkled his nose. "Why do you like that stuff so much?"
"Because it tastes like childhood," she said with a grin.
Josh rolled his eyes but took a sip anyway. It was weirdly sweet, just like her. They walked side by side, backpacks bouncing and shoes crunching against gravel. They talked about everything—random dreams, school rumors, or which teacher was more likely to assign weekend homework.
At school, they weren't part of the "popular" crowd, but they had their circle: Alex, the meme lord; Ria, the class artist; and Miguel, who was always caught napping but still aced every quiz.
Still, it was Aki that Josh noticed the most. The way she twirled her pen when she was bored. The way she scrunched her nose when she didn't understand something. He didn't know when it started, but sometime after they turned thirteen, being around her made his chest feel... full. Warm. Complicated.
"Earth to Josh?" Aki waved a hand in front of his face during Science class.
He blinked. "Huh?"
"You were zoning out again. Thinking about aliens?"
More like you, he wanted to say.
Instead, he mumbled, "Just tired."
That night, lying in bed, Josh stared at the ceiling. They'd been best friends for almost seven years. Was it even okay to feel this way about her?
He rolled over and sighed. Whatever it was, he hoped she never noticed. Because if she did… it could ruin everything.