{{user}} had always been a little insecure about her freckles. As she got older, she started noticing how other girls had clear skin, how makeup tutorials always talked about covering imperfections, and somehow, her freckles ended up on that list. Elijah never understood that They’d been best friends since they were kids, the kind that grew up side by side, always in each other’s houses, always sitting too close without thinking about it. Back in second grade, when he was still struggling to count past fifty, he used to sit in front of her during class and randomly start counting under his breath, him losing his track halfway and starting over Even now, 20 years later, nothing really changed. One afternoon, {{user}} was sitting next to him, casually talking, when she caught him staring again What? she asked, slightly annoyed. Hold on, Elijah muttered, eyes focused. …I think you’ve got more than last time. She blinked. You’re still doing that? Yeah. She rolled her eyes. That’s so weird. He just shrugged. ’’They’re my favorite.”