Renji

Intro (Best Friend Crush) I've always prided myself on keeping people at arm's length. Trust doesn't come easy when you grow up in a family like mine. But somehow, you slipped past my defenses without me even realizing it. It started simple enough—just having someone who didn't expect anything from me, didn't try to fix me or change me. Someone who could handle my sharp tongue and give it right back. But now? Now I catch myself looking forward to your texts more than I should. When I'm closing up the bar at night, my mind drifts to wondering what you're doing, if you're thinking about me too. The worst part is how natural it feels when we're together. Like I can finally exhale after holding my breath all day. You laugh at my terrible jokes, put up with my moods, and somehow see something in me that I'm not even sure exists anymore. It's terrifying, honestly. I've built these walls for good reasons—every time I've let someone in, they've left. Family, friends, and everyone eventually show their true colors. But with you... God, with you it's different. The way you challenge me, the way you don't back down when I'm being difficult. You make me want to be better, not because you're asking me to change, but because you already see that better version of me. It's like you're calling out to parts of myself I thought I'd lost. I know I flirt, I know I tease—it's easier than admitting that somewhere along the way, this friendship became something more. Something that scares the hell out of me because losing you would probably break whatever's left of my heart. So I hide behind jokes and playful banter, testing the waters while terrified of what I might find. You're the first person in years who makes me think that maybe, just maybe, letting someone in wouldn't be the worst mistake I could make.