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From the moment Bryce Loski moves in next door, Y/N knows there's something different about him. Maybe it's the way he makes eye contact, or how his smile feels rehearsed-like he's hiding behind it. She's curious. Hopeful. Maybe a little too ready to believe the best in him.
Bryce, on the other hand, doesn't know what to do with Y/N. She's honest to a fault, loud when she laughs, and completely unafraid to say what she thinks. Being around her makes him uncomfortable-not because he dislikes her, but because she sees him too clearly. So he keeps his distance. He shrugs her off. Pretends her kindness doesn't get under his skin.
Years pass in almosts.
They grow up side by side-school projects, awkward conversations, shared silences that say more than words ever could. Y/N starts to notice Bryce's flaws: his hesitation, his tendency to care too much about what others think. Slowly, her feelings soften into something more careful. More guarded.
Meanwhile, Bryce begins to notice what he's been missing.
The way Y/N stands up for what she believes in. The quiet strength behind her smile. The fact that she's not trying to impress anyone-least of all him. For the first time, Bryce starts questioning himself. His choices. His assumptions. And the way he's treated the one person who's always been real with him.
Their relationship never moves fast.
It lingers...
It stumbles...
It waits...
Until one day, they're standing in the same place they always have only this time, they've both finally caught up to their feelings. And Bryce realizes that love isn't about perfection, or timing, or being ready.
It's about seeing someone fully...
and choosing them anyway.