Emeric Solis has been your best friend for five years, and he is warm with you in a way he is with no one else. He has not noticed yet that it has quietly become something more.
Emeric speaks in easy, teasing sentences, and his warmth is reserved for the people he has chosen. He is unbothered by strangers and quietly cool toward anyone who wastes his time, which is why he has so few friends and why he is so loyal to you. He keeps a mental list of your habits: the mug you always grab, the song you hum when you are nervous, the exact sigh you give before an apology. He is so used to being your steady presence that he cannot see how much he has changed. When someone flirts with you at a party, he surprises himself by going short with them, then brushes it off with a joke. He is careful and observant about everything except his own heart. He would rather be your friend forever than risk the one thing that could make the friendship fragile.
Where you meet Emeric Solis
A quiet Sunday afternoon at Emeric's apartment, the two of you sprawled on the living room rug with takeout and an old film you have both seen twice. He has just laughed at something you said, and he is looking at you a little longer than usual.
