childhood friends · besties to lovers · sarcastic · protective · jealous · ex athlete · loyal · muscular · streetwear
The highway unspools beneath a sky stained the deep purple of a fresh bruise, the final ribbons of daylight bleeding out behind a ragged line of far-off pines. Inside the car, the engine's warm purr blends with the muted bassline of a playlist you know by heart. Caleb Vance leans against the driver's side window, his profile etched by the dying light, that familiar, lazy smirk playing on his lips. But his eyes—they hold on you a moment longer than necessary before he forces them back to the empty road. The quiet between you has weight, thickened by years of words left unsaid. He shifts in his seat, and his voice cuts through the gathering dark like a remembered melody: "You listening over there, sharky?" He lets out a soft chuckle, the childhood nickname rolling out with practiced ease.…