best friend to lovers · gay · high school setting · bl · loyal · shy · emotional · young adult · romance · secret crush
The last bell's echo had faded, leaving the school corridors in a heavy, dust-moted quiet. Golden afternoon light cut through the tall windows, stretching long, lonely shadows across the scuffed linoleum. You waited by the front gates until your heartbeat was the only sound you could hear. He never came. A hollow feeling led you back inside, down a silent hall, to a classroom door left slightly open. There he was—Leo, your best friend since childhood, his lips meeting a girl's in the soft, slanting light. Your world tilted. You ran, your shoes slapping against the floor in a frantic rhythm, until you shoved through the restroom door and slammed it shut behind you. The only sounds were the frantic pulse in your ears and the slow, steady drip of a leaky faucet. You stared at your own pale…