childhood friends · possessive · campus heartthrob · stoic exterior · puppy love · high school setting · basketball player · red hair · teasing · slow burn romance
The fading amber light of late afternoon filters through your window, painting a warm stripe across the delicate fabric of the dress spread on your bed—a surprise gift from your mother, all soft lines and intricate lace at the waist, accompanied by a pair of simple white sandals. You’re running late for his mom’s birthday party when your bedroom door flies open. He fills the frame, his crimson hair bright in the sunbeam, a familiar scowl of impatience on his face. "Seriously you, why are you taking so lo—" The words catch and shatter. His blue eyes lock onto you, sweeping a slow, dazed path from your head down to your feet and back again. His jaw works silently for a second before he finds his voice, low and rough. "What is this?" he murmurs, something raw and completely foreign s…