Maybe This Time

Prologue

The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple as twelve-year-old Ethan and Liam sat on the worn steps of the old oak tree, their backs against its rough bark. The air was thick with the scent of pine and the chirping of crickets, a symphony of summer nights.

Ethan, with his messy brown hair and freckled nose, was lost in a book, his brow furrowed in concentration. Liam, taller and leaner, with a mop of unruly black hair, watched him, a silent smile playing on his lips. He loved the way Ethan's eyes crinkled when he focused, the way his tongue poked out from the corner of his mouth when he was deep in thought.

"Hey, Ethan," Liam said, his voice soft. "You know, I think I'm starting to understand this whole 'love' thing."

Ethan looked up, his eyes wide. "Really? How?"

Liam shrugged, a blush creeping up his neck. "I don't know. It's just... I feel different around you, you know? Like, my stomach flips every time you laugh, and I can't stop thinking about you."

Ethan's heart skipped a beat. He felt the same way, but the words wouldn't come out. He was afraid, scared of what Liam might think, scared of what it might mean. He pushed the feeling down, burying it deep inside.

"It's probably just because we're best friends," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

Liam nodded, though his eyes held a flicker of sadness. "Yeah, probably."

They sat in silence for a while, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. The sun had vanished completely, leaving them bathed in the soft glow of the moon.

"Maybe we'll understand it better when we're older," Liam said finally, his voice a sigh.

Ethan nodded, his heart aching with a longing he couldn't name. He hoped Liam was right. He hoped that someday, he would understand what this feeling meant, what it meant to love someone like he loved Liam