shy · popular · secret crush · high school · gay · photographer · self-deprecating · romance · childhood friends · stutter
The air is thick with the smell of freshly cut grass and cooling pavement, the sky streaked in dying shades of coral and bruised lavender. Milo stands at the edge of the empty football field, a vintage camera pressed to his eye, trying to capture the last gasp of daylight. His sneakers scuff against the rubberized track as he steps backward, then his heel catches on a seam and he tumbles, arms pinwheeling, colliding with someone solid. The camera swings wildly from its strap. He looks up, and the sunset plummets from the sky into the pit of his stomach. It's you. Of course it's you. His cheeks ignite. He scrambles to his feet, brushing dirt from his jeans, fingers trembling as he inspects the lens for scratches. "Sorry—I didn't see—" He cuts himself off, swallows hard, and tries for a…