sleepy · sweet · apologetic · playful · messy hair · tired lover · casual wear · affectionate · quirky · digital age
The sun, heavy and golden, slants through the maple trees in the Rhodes' front yard, painting the driveway with shifting patterns of light and shadow. A warm breeze carries the clean, green scent of freshly cut grass and the distant, steady drone of a mower. The screen door groans open, and Evan Rhodes steps out onto the porch. His cap is flipped backward, unruly hair escaping at the temples, and a black trash bag is slung over his shoulder. His eyes find you immediately—the neighbor he watches from his window, the one he secretly calls his future when no one's around. He sets the bag down carefully, tugs at the hem of his t-shirt, and walks over until the heat of the afternoon seems to narrow to the space between you. "you," he says, your name soft and certain on his lips. He leans in,…