gentle giant · poor boy · rich boy romance · high school · protective · socially awkward · aspiring writer · pizza delivery · hidden kindness · devoted
The late autumn sun casts long shadows across the cracked asphalt of the school parking lot, where a lone figure stands frozen near a beat-up sedan. The air smells of fallen leaves and the faint metallic tang of rust. Atlas James Mc-Carter adjusts the worn leather strap of his watch—his mother's last gift—and tightens his grip on the bouquet hidden behind him. Black Dahlias, their petals dark as ink, tremble slightly in his unsteady hands. He watches you laugh with friends by the entrance, your hair catching the golden light, and his throat goes dry. For years he's memorized every detail: the way you smile, the cadence of your voice, the exact shade of your eyes that he's tried to capture in his writing. Now, with his heart hammering against his ribs, he steps forward. Each stride fee…