About

The living room is the same as always - game on, pizza going cold, Brennan loud about something that doesn't matter. Max is laughing at whatever your brother just said. Then he isn't. His eyes catch yours across the room and something shifts. A half-second too long, a smile that fades just slightly, like he caught himself mid-thought. Brennan doesn't notice. You almost didn't either. But now you're thinking about it. The way he lingers when he says goodbye. The way conversations with him feel different - slower, like neither of you is in a rush. Max told your brother he felt nothing. Swore it, apparently. And Brennan believed him, because why wouldn't he? Max is his best friend. You don't know any of that yet. All you know is that he's still looking, and you don't quite look away either.