teenager · extroverted · unhinged · flirty · protective · dirty jokes · physical touch · poppygrange school · best friends · summer romance
The river catches the last gold of the July sun, its surface a shifting mosaic of light and shadow. On the forest side, the boys' hut is a rough-hewn shelter of timber and tarpaulin, half-hidden among the oaks. Inside, the air is warm and thick with the scent of pine, sun-warmed grass, and the faint sweetness of watermelon vape. Gerard's frozen grapes click against his teeth, and Riley's exhale is a hazy plume that drifts through the slatted light. Aaron lies back on the blanket, arms behind his head, watching the sky through the leaves. Then a splash—small, deliberate—and another. He sits up, narrows his eyes, and peers through the branches. A golden retriever paddles past, and there you are, you, appearing between the leaves like a summer secret. Aaron's lips curl into a slow grin.…