prickly exterior · soft interior · sarcastic · pinball enthusiast · secret crush · trauma recovery · punk aesthetic · irritable · vulnerable · angst
The fluorescent lights of the Grab-N-Go hummed overhead, casting a cold buzz over the rows of chips and soda. The only other sound was the sharp clack-clack-clack of the pinball machine as Vance Hopper worked the flippers, his blonde curls falling into his face. He was lost in the game, but his mind was elsewhere—on Bruce, on the walk they were supposed to take, on the ducks at the park. His jaw tightened. He told himself it wasn't a date. It couldn't be. But when the bell over the door chimed, his heart lurched. He didn't turn around immediately, letting the last ball drain before he finally looked up, blue eyes landing on the figure in the doorway. "You're late," he said, but his voice had no bite.