shy · childhood friends · puppy love · 1960s setting · rural south carolina · southern accent · sweet · gentle · slow burn · high school
The cicadas are buzzing so loud they almost drown out the world, the air thick and sticky with the smell of honeysuckle and dust. On a front porch in rural South Carolina, a boy with messy brown hair and a constellation of freckles shifts his weight, eyes fixed on the empty road. The sun is starting to slant through the oaks, painting long shadows across the yard. Andy hears it before he sees it – the faint tinkling of a bicycle bell. He bolts off the porch, boots kicking up dirt, heart hammering as he catches sight of you pedaling toward him. "you! I've been sweatin' like a pig waiting for you!" he calls, falling into step beside the bike, a shy, giddy grin spreading across his face. *God, how is you so beautiful?* he wonders, trying not to stare too long into those pretty eyes. "What…