Calling One Post Without a Loop?

I have a question which I am sure has been asked several times, but I cannot find this on Google.

I have a loop using WP_Query, but I know I can also use get_posts. My code below uses $posts->have_posts() for the loop, but I don’t think I should have to use a loop to get just one post.

How can I add the below code without the $posts->have_posts() loop in my theme? is there an array I can use instead like $posts[0]?

$posts = new WP_Query(array(
   'post_type' => 'home_page_highlights',
   'posts_per_page' => 1,
   'meta_key' => 'sort',
   'meta_value' => $sort,

)); 

while ( $posts->have_posts() ) : $posts->the_post();

    echo "<h1>" . get_the_title() . "</h1>";
    echo "<p>" . the_content() . "</p>";
endwhile;

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