Was it meant to be?

Movie night

It had been a few days since I returned from the private hospital, and my leg felt so much better. I hadn't talked to Mello about the kiss he gave me while I was in the hospital bed, even though I knew it had happened. I didn't want things to feel awkward between us. For the first time, I felt truly close to Mello as my best friend, and I didn't want to ruin that.

At the weekly assembly at Wammy's House, where Roger usually talked about the upcoming events, I sat quietly, listening. This week, he announced that he would be hosting a movie night in the media room and encouraged everyone to attend. With only about 30 of us in total, the orphanage wasn't exactly huge, so I figured it wouldn't be too crowded. Still, I was excited.

After the assembly, Shine and I decided to head to her room to hang out and play Roblox together. As I entered her room, a thought crossed my mind—maybe I should tell her what happened in the hospital with Mello. She had kept my crush on him a secret, so I figured she'd keep this one too.

NEAR'S POV:

As the assembly ended, I made my way back to my room. I felt like spending some time with my toys, and I placed a glass of water on my nightstand in case I got thirsty. A few minutes into playing, I accidentally knocked the glass over, spilling water onto the floor. Sighing, I stood up to get a mop from the storage room at the end of the hall.

As I passed Shine's room, I heard Y/N and her talking rather loudly. While I grabbed the mop, I overheard Y/N telling Shine that Mello had kissed her in the hospital a few days ago.

A strange feeling of jealousy washed over me, followed by confusion. Why did I feel like this? I wasn't dating her, so why did it bother me? As I mopped the floor, I found myself tearing up, but I wasn't sure why. Did I like Y/N? I'd never felt this way about anyone before. Maybe it was best to distance myself from her, so I wouldn't make things complicated between her and Mello.

Y/N'S POV:

I ended up telling Shine about the kiss in the hospital, and she was so excited for me. We both screamed in excitement for about two minutes straight before finally calming down. Then she asked if I was thinking about dating Mello.

Honestly, I wasn't sure. I told her probably not, at least not right now. I didn't want to risk ruining our friendship. Shine understood but still teased me about how Mello and I would make a cute couple. I couldn't help but blush.

After playing Roblox for about 40 minutes, I realized my phone was almost out of charge, and I needed to do my homework. So I told Shine I'd head back to my room. As I left, I thought about how I hadn't hung out with Near since before the camping trip, and I decided to say hi after finishing some homework.

After getting through half my homework, I walked over to Near's room with a smile and knocked on his door. "Near, it's me, Y/N."

After a few seconds, he responded, "Okay, come in."

I walked in and found him playing darts, which was a bit unusual for him. "Near, can I play with you?" I asked, closing the door behind me and sitting down next to him.

He replied, "Okay, but I'm not forcing you."

I felt confused by his response. Why would Near think I felt forced to play with him? I brushed off the comment and reached for a dart, but he stopped me, saying, "I'm using these right now." I quickly apologized and just watched him, but something felt off.

"Hey, Near, are you okay? Did I do something to upset you?" I asked, feeling worried.

"No," he said, but his tone was dry, like it was when we first met. By now, he was usually comfortable with me, so I didn't understand what was going on. I told him okay and sat quietly while he continued playing for about 10 minutes. Then, making an excuse that I needed to finish my homework, I left the room. I had fixed things with Mello, but now Near seemed upset with me.

When I got back to my room, I remembered that I was going to be a detective someday. I didn't need a confession—I could piece together clues. Near's floor had been wet, which meant he had mopped recently. That meant he had gone to the storage room...

Wait. Did he overhear me and Shine talking about Mello kissing me? That had to be it. We were talking pretty loudly. I was glad Mello hadn't overheard, or he'd be mad at me too.

I needed to check in on Mello, just in case. I decided I could ask him if he wanted to go to the shops for snacks for the movie night as an excuse. With that plan in mind, I knocked on Mello's door.

"Come in," I heard from the other side.

I stepped in and saw Matt and Mello on the bed, playing Fortnite. Mello glanced at me with a smile. "What's up? Need something?"

"I was just wondering if you guys wanted to go to the shops with me later to get snacks for movie night," I said, trying to gauge if either of them was acting strange.

"Nah, we're not going to that. Matt and I are gonna sneak out and hang at the park," Mello replied, still focused on his game. "You can come if you want, unless you're so desperate to watch a kids' movie with everyone else," he teased.

I laughed and said I'd already promised Shine I'd go with her. They seemed normal, so I figured they hadn't overheard anything. I had enough evidence—now, I needed to confront Near.

Later, after quickly redoing my hair and makeup, I walked with Shine to the media room for the movie. About 20 people showed up, more than I expected. I spotted Tess and her boyfriend sprawled across the back sofa, taking up way too much space. That was annoying. Maybe it was time for a little payback.

I walked up to Tess and smirked. "Is the reason you and your boyfriend are hogging the whole couch because you're planning a little handjob during Toy Story?"

Shine burst out laughing, and Tess shot me a dirty look. "What?"

"I hope you enjoy your 'special time' during the scene where Buzz Lightyear gets ripped up by the dog. Must be a real turn-on for you two," I said, walking away before she had a chance to respond. Shine and I continued giggling about it as the movie started.

Halfway through the movie, I told Shine I was tired and headed to bed, though that wasn't true. I knew now was the perfect time to talk to Near, especially since Mello and Matt were out. I knocked on Near's door.

"Yes?" came his quiet voice.

"Near, we need to talk," I said firmly from the other side of the door. No reply. "I'm coming in either way."

When I opened the door, I found him still sitting on the floor, playing with those darts.

"Near, I know you overheard me," I said.

He looked up, surprised. "Who told you?"

"No one. I figured it out. I'm not number 4 for no reason," I replied. "I'm not dating Mello. I don't even know what we are, but that doesn't mean I don't want to be friends with you."

He paused, staring at the dartboard. It was like someone had frozen him in place.

"Near, you're one of my best friends. I tell you things that I don't even tell Shine, Mello, or Matt," I added softly.

Near finally turned to face me, looking upset. "I'm sorry, Y/N."

"It's okay, Near," I said gently. "Just, next time, if something's bothering you, please tell me. I'd rather know than have you keep it to yourself." I leaned in and hugged him. He didn't hug me back, but I understood—he wasn't the type for physical contact. When I pulled away, I saw tears falling from his eyes.

"Near, don't cry. I'm sorry you felt this way." I wiped the tears from his cheeks, guilt flooding me for making him feel like this. We spent the rest of the evening playing together, and he slowly returned to his usual self. Finally, I felt relieved that we had fixed things between us.