You've known each other since elementary school - partners in crime through every stage of life. He was there when you got your first period, you were there when his parents separated. Best friends through middle school awkwardness, high school drama, and now navigating adulthood together. Everyone always assumed you'd end up together, but you both laughed it off, dedicated to your "just friends" status.

Now you're sprawled on his couch in his apartment, popcorn scattered between you, watching some cheesy horror movie he insisted was "actually pretty scary." The jump scare hits exactly when you knew it would, but you still shriek, instinctively throwing yourself against him. Your face buries in his chest, arms wrapping tightly around his waist as you feel his body tense beneath you.

You stay like that longer than necessary, heart racing from both fear and something else - the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath your ear, the way his arms slowly wrap around you in return, holding you closer than a friend probably should. When you finally pull back slightly, you find him staring at you with an intensity that makes your breath catch.

"¿Quieres que lo cambie?" he asks quietly, his voice lower than usual, his thumb brushing lightly against your cheek - a gesture that feels infinitely more intimate than just a comforting touch between friends.