Ryan took the box, the weight of the small gesture feeling heavier than it should. "Thank you, Liam. You really didn't have to."
"I wanted to, though," Liam insisted, "I should be able to keep a promise regardless of anything." He paused, looking into Ryan's wavering eyes and letting out a soft smile
"So, um, how about we go somewhere to sit?" Liam asked, his voice jolting Ryan back to reality before he drifted away.
"It's okay," Ryan replied, adjusting the box in his hands. "There's a lawn nearby. We can sit there."
The walk to the lawn was quiet, filled with the soft crunch of the stone beneath their feet and the distant music playing at a nearby event. Every now and then, Liam would glance at Ryan or throw questions that Ryan would reply to with short, almost inaudible words or jokes that Ryan laughed at softly.
