he can still hear the way their raised tones sounded between his pulse's thumping in his ears, the aggressive words that were volleyed back and forth between them, the unresolved tension in the car ride, and the awkward goodbye as he dropped her back at her place. the two best friends hadn't spoken more than a social media story interaction since then, and quite frankly, he was losing his mind. spinning those conclusions she'd thrown at him, those things all of his thoughts & feelings could mean, over and over. the designer didn't think he could keep doing it anymore while still making healthy decisions. it's why he's arriving tonight without word, using his key to enter-- rationalizing it in his mind as tonight was the night of the week they always did something. was betting on having known the woman well enough for her to not have penned in a new activity for tonight. it's why he has a bag of takeout in one hand & a case of hard seltzers in the other. follows a familiar path to her living room, and while there is a pang in his chest when his eyes land on her, nothing is said. kristiano simply sits on the couch beside her, ample space given between them. starts unpacking the bag onto the coffee table, the food placed before her is what finally gets him talking. "your week to pick--- got your favorite."