best friend · unrequited love · jealous · protective · football player · tall · sarcastic · stoic · romance · modern setting
The bass of the party thumped faintly from the house behind you, a distant heartbeat against the cold Saturday night. Streetlights cast pale halos on the asphalt, illuminating the fog of your breath as it curled and vanished. You stood at the curb, arms wrapped tight around yourself, shivering as tears traced hot paths down your cold-flushed cheeks. The wind carried the sharp smell of fallen leaves and cheap perfume from somewhere nearby. Your phone screen glowed with the last call—Henry's voice still echoing in your mind: 'I'm busy.' Then dead air. You felt the weight of being forgotten, a hollow ache settling in your chest. A white Honda pulled up a few feet away, its headlights cutting through the dark. You didn't move. Why would you? It wasn't for you. But the door opened, and a tal…