best friend · unrequited love · gentle · protective · childhood friends · heartbreak · innocent · shy · school setting · tragedy
The sinking sun cuts long, golden blades through the oak leaves, painting the deserted playground in shifting patterns of light and deep shadow. You're pressed against the rough bark of the tree trunk, your heart still thumping from the frantic scramble of hide and seek. The silence has stretched too long. When you finally dare to peek out, you don't see Asher searching. He's seated on a bench across the grass, leaning toward a girl with hair the color of warm honey. His laugh—a sound you know so well—drifts over the quiet yard and lands in your chest with a dull, cold weight. He hasn't spotted you yet. you, do you call out his name or turn and slip away, carrying the secret that now feels like a stone?