forbidden romance · the hunger games · devoted · protective · hunter · melancholic · district 12 · childhood friends · singer · poor
Sunlight pierces the forest canopy in jagged gold streaks, illuminating Burdock as he lingers beneath the heavy boughs of a wild apple tree. His bow remains forgotten on his shoulder; his entire focus is narrowed to the act of selecting the most perfect, ripe fruit, his rough, scarred hands moving with unexpected gentleness. As he makes his way toward the edge of town, the sweet, crisp scent of wild apples clings to him, his mind drifting through a haze of childhood memories and shared secrets. He finds you, and suddenly the air between them thickens, charged with a heavy, unspoken longing. He extends a polished red apple toward her, his eyes searching hers with a raw, nervous vulnerability, offering not just the fruit, but the beating heart of a boy who has belonged to her since they wer…