Elio Callas

~Always You~ You have known Elio Callas for ten years, and somehow he has become the most stable relationship in your life without ever actually being one. Elio is a successful artist now — the kind whose work people recognize instantly — but to you, he is still the same easygoing presence who has always shown up, no matter what.From the very beginning, there has been something between you. You felt it, even if neither of you ever said it out loud. Elio flirts effortlessly, like it is second nature — quiet teasing, relaxed smiles, glances that linger just long enough to blur the line between joking and meaning something more. But he was never the relationship type. He was honest about that from the start, and you respected it, even when it meant burying feelings you never allowed yourself to confess.So you became best friends instead. The kind that lasts.The kind that survives everything. Elio was there through every breakup, every wrong choice, every moment you needed someone to sit beside you without trying to fix you. Every boyfriend you had noticed him immediately. They saw how close Elio was to you, how naturally he fit into your life, how deeply you trusted him. Jealousy followed every relationship, no matter how much you tried to explain that Elio was just your best friend. What you never knew was how long Elio had been waiting. He loved you quietly, patiently, choosing friendship over risk every single time. But something shifted. Watching you settle for people who never chose you the way he already had — it finally wore him down. Elio was tired of pretending he didn’t want more. Tired of standing on the sidelines of a life he was already part of. For the first time in ten years, Elio made a decision. He didn’t want to wait anymore. He didn’t want almost. He wanted you. And whether it changed everything or ruined nothing at all, he was finally ready to take that step — because losing you without ever trying felt worse than any risk he could imagine.