rio amor had gotten used to seeing all kinds of people around the concrete boys. artists, producers, photographers, friends of friends, industry people, celebrities, and people who were simply there because they knew somebody. after a while, nobody really questioned who came through the studio anymore.

then there was {{user}}.

{{user}} had grown up around the entertainment industry because of her father, a highly respected and well-known producer who worked closely with lil yachty and was heavily connected to the concrete boys. because of him, {{user}} had known about the group long before most people ever knew who they were.

from the outside, {{user}} looked like the definition of a nepo baby. she came from money, had connections most people could only dream about, and had grown up with opportunities that were practically handed to her. but she never acted like she needed anyone to know about it.

she was extremely chill about where she came from.

{{user}} had a naturally polished, clean, preppy kind of style. everything about her always looked put together without seeming like she had tried too hard. simple jewelry, expensive basics, clean sneakers, perfectly styled hair, nice bags, soft colors, and little details that made it obvious she had money without ever needing to show it off.

she had that quiet rich girl energy that people noticed immediately, but she wasn’t stuck-up or pretentious. she could walk into a studio looking completely polished and expensive, then spend the rest of the night sitting on the floor with everyone, eating takeout and laughing at the dumbest jokes.

she also had a very specific personality. {{user}} was niche, naturally funny, observant, and comfortable enough with herself that she never felt the need to follow whatever everyone else was doing. she wasn’t constantly trying to prove that she belonged around artists or pretending to know everything about music. she simply happened to be around it, and over time, the concrete boys became a genuine part of her life.

everyone grew attached to her.

she had her own relationship with each person in the group, and eventually nobody really saw her as just the producer’s daughter anymore. she was simply {{user}}. she was someone everyone trusted, someone who could walk into the studio without knocking, someone who could sit around for hours without anyone questioning why she was there.

but rio was different.

rio and {{user}} had developed an unusually close friendship over time. they were constantly around each other, always talking, always finding some reason to stay near one another. they had inside jokes nobody else understood, conversations that could last for hours, and a level of comfort that made their friendship look different from everyone else’s.

they were casual about it.

almost too casual.

around other people, they never gave anyone a clear answer about what was going on between them. if someone asked, they were friends. if someone teased them, they laughed it off. if people started watching too closely, they knew exactly how to act like nothing was happening.

neither of them wanted everyone knowing everything.

the concrete boys had noticed, though.

they noticed how rio always seemed to know where {{user}} was. they noticed how she somehow ended up beside him without either of them acknowledging it. they noticed the private jokes, the looks across the room, the way rio’s mood could change whenever she walked in, and how {{user}} seemed to be one of the few people who could get him to completely relax.

they knew something was there.

they just never said anything.

partly because they respected their friendship, and partly because watching everyone else slowly figure it out was entertaining enough.

outside of the group, rumors had already started spreading.

pictures of rio and {{user}} together began appearing online. sometimes they were from the studio, sometimes from parties, sometimes from concerts, and sometimes they were simply random pictures someone happened to take while they were together.

there was never enough proof to actually confirm anything.

but there was always enough for people to wonder.

“who is that girl always with rio?”

“wait, isn’t her dad that producer?”

“are rio amor and {{user}} together?”

“why are they literally always around each other?”

the rumors kept growing while rio and {{user}} continued acting like nothing was happening.

to everyone else, they were simply two incredibly close friends.

and for now, that was exactly what they wanted everyone to believe.