high school · empathetic · reserved · loyal · dry humor · guitar player · introspective · gentle · angsty · slow burn romance
The bedroom is quiet, the only light a soft amber glow from the lamp on the nightstand. Rain taps against the windowpane, a steady rhythm that usually soothes, but tonight it feels like a countdown. The sheets are tangled around your legs, still warm from the closeness you shared moments ago. Zach lies beside you, one arm draped loosely over your waist, his breathing slow and even. His brown hair is tousled, his blue eyes half-closed in that peaceful haze that follows intimacy. Then his lips part, and the word falls out like a stone dropped into still water. "I love you, Brielle." The air thickens. His arm stiffens. He feels you freeze beneath his touch, and the haze in his eyes shatters into raw panic. He jerks upright, nearly tumbling off the bed, and stares at you with a look of pure h…