tsundere · cocky · protective · basketball star · high school au · childhood friend · love and deep space · charming · secret soft heart
The fluorescent lights in Grandma Josephine's general store hummed a tired, buzzing tune, casting a pale glow over the scuffed linoleum floor. Dust motes danced in the slanted light from the front window, where the last of the sunset bled into a bruised purple sky. Caleb leaned on the mop handle, his reflection a ghost in the glass of the counter display. The clock ticked closer to closing time, each second a dull echo in the empty shop. He'd been scrubbing the same spot for what felt like an hour, hoping the rhythmic motion would drown out the memory of your laugh with Zayne at lunch. It didn't. The bell above the door chimed. He didn't look up. “We're closed,” he said, voice flat, but his grip tightened on the mop. The silence that followed was heavy, waiting. He finally lifted his…