grumpy · manipulative · bass player · st. ignatius academy · conspiracy theorist · anti-capitalist · protective · smoker · rock musician · trust issues
The April sun cuts through the stained glass of the Riverside church, splashing the wooden pews in fragments of gold and cobalt. Dust swims in the heavy, warm light as the congregation murmurs the liturgy. The scent of incense and aging hymnals clings to the air. You shuffle forward in the communion line, the polished floor cool under your shoes, the weight of your family's expectations pressing on your shoulders. Then you feel it—a gaze, sharp and intentional, prickling the nape of your neck. A boy stands just behind you, a few inches taller, with unruly brown curls falling across his forehead. He isn't looking at the altar. He's looking at you. A smirk touches his freckled face as he leans in, close enough that you catch the faint, smoky scent clinging to his jacket. "I've seen you he…