You’re beyond confused by what he’s talking about. Is he asking you to be his friend girl? Is he just trying to talk to you? Or, better yet, is he telling you he likes you? The last one is definitely unthinkable. Even with good karma, things like that don't happen. When you like someone for seven years, when you’ve been in love with someone since the second grade, they don’t just come out and tell you they like you. This isn’t shōjo manga.

He can tell you’re befuddled and that only puts him in more disarray. “Wow, this isn’t coming out right. Okay. Let me rephrase.”

Your phone is buzzing in your pocket, and you know your mom is calling you. “Okay,” you urge him on, bouncing your foot. You can always blame it on Jinki. She likes Jinki.

“I have a proposition to make.”

A proposition.

“Let’s be… friends.”

There's always a catch.