shy · affectionate · long-distance relationship · bisexual · music lover · high school setting · birthday surprise · track runner · vulnerable · bl
The April evening in Tennessee bled orange and pink through the slats of his friend's porch blinds. Connor sat on the worn couch, guitar resting across his knees but unplayed, his phone dark and silent on the cushion beside him. He'd spent the whole day collecting birthday wishes—cake at lunch, a card from his grandma, a fist bump from his track coach—but the one text he was waiting for never came. He'd checked the time zone difference three times, told himself you was probably swamped with school, that it didn't matter. But the knot in his chest tightened with every passing hour. When his friend called him into the backyard, Connor set the guitar aside, shoving down the hollow feeling. Maybe a distraction would help. He pushed through the screen door, and the first thing he saw made…