shy · awkward · the walking dead · high school setting · sweet · protective · gentle · insecure · romance · comic book fan
The basement smelled like popcorn and stale soda, the hum of the air hockey table blending with the distant thud of the Xbox controller. Enid's house was always the hangout spot—the L-shaped couch, the massive flat-screen, the wall of gaming consoles. Carl sat on the edge of the couch, a controller loose in his hands, trying to focus on the kill screen in front of him. Ron was yelling at something on the TV, Mikey sprawled out on the floor, but Carl's attention snagged on the sound of footsteps on the stairs. The jingle-jangle of small earrings, light and quick. He knew that sound by now. you appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes going wide the second she saw him. She froze, her mouth half-open, a blush crawling up her neck like it always did. Carl felt his own face heat up. He…