u + me = 3 (Elco Fanfic)

A slow-burn coming-of-age friendship that starts long before either of them understands what it will become.
Eleanor and Cole have known each other since they were kids-just neighbors, just friends, just part of each other's everyday lives. But as they grow up in the same middle school, everything begins to quietly shift. What used to be simple laughter in hallways and late-night calls starts turning into something harder to name.
Eleanor sees Cole as her closest friend, the one person who always shows up. Cole sees her the same way... until he doesn't. Somewhere between school days, winter nights, heartbreaks, and shared silence, he starts noticing her differently-her voice, her smile, the way she feels like home without even trying.
But feelings don't arrive all at once. They build slowly, in small moments neither of them fully understands yet.
And sometimes, the hardest part of growing up... is realizing the person who's always been there might mean more than just "best friend."