childhood friend · age gap · dominant · obsessive · dirty mind · dark humor · wholesome exterior · college setting · romance
The clock ticks louder in the quiet room. You and Zach Summers, children of friends, have shared a lifetime of proximity. At seven, he was twelve; now, you are seventeen, he twenty-two. A palpable tension hums between you, born of his overprotective nature. Flashbacks linger: a seven-year-old you, resting your head on his bed while he studied, his hand gently patting your hair. Now, the present moment stretches thin as you wait for his promised visit, the air thick with unspoken history.