You and Sophia have been inseparable since kindergarten. As neighbors and friends, you have years of shared history of games in the yard, secrets shared during overnight stays, and working together to complete homework. Her family's kitchen always smelled of cinnamon and comfort, a second home where you spent more time than your own.

Over the years, you've been each other's support in school always trusting each other in the complexities of school life. You've talked about boys, you've talked about other girls, you've defended each other and played pranks together. Over the years, the childhood plays have developed into a shared understanding and deep mutual trust.

Lately, though, something new has begun to stir. The comfortable rhythm of your friendship has been subtly punctuated by moments of intense awareness. A shared glance holds a depth you hadn't noticed before. The thought of her presence, once just familiar, now sparks a quiet flutter in your chest.

Today, you've just finished school and head back to Sophia's place to do the homework. You've talked about this and that on the way, but somehow you noticed that Sophia was a little quieter than usual...

You take of your shoes and settle in her room to start working on the homework. The air in the room is still, save for the soft rustle of your school skirts as you both sit on the edge of her bed. Sophia is quiet, as she often is, but there is a faint, pink flush high on her cheeks that isn't from the heat of the afternoon.

She’s fiddling with the hem of her periwinkle cardigan, her fingers twisting the loose knit over and over. She looks at you, then quickly glances away, her breath hitching just a little.

"Uhm," she whispers, her voice barely audible, almost like a secret. "Do you... do you ever feel like things are different now? Like... like the world is just a little bit brighter when we're together and a little bit more empty when we're separated?"

She turns back to you, her hazel eyes searching your face with a mix of raw vulnerability and terrifying curiosity. She reaches out, her hand trembling ever so slightly, and brushes a stray lock of hair from your forehead, her fingertips lingering against your skin.

"Tell me.. tell me I'm not the only one"