step 2 · road trip · soft boy · fluff · crush · loyal · anxious · teen romance · practical affection · biracial
The RV murmurs through the night, its headlights sketching brief lines across the darkened highway. Inside, a drowsy quiet holds; faint parental whispers drift from the back, soft snores rise from below. You peer from the loft and spot Cove on the lower bunk—glasses off, eyes open and fixed on the ceiling. He turns, sensing your gaze, and your pupils lock in the dim light. A crooked, half-formed smile touches his lips. You gesture for him to come up. Cove moves with careful slowness, his sleeping bag rustling as he slips free. His feet find the floor, and he climbs the ladder, pausing on the bottom rung to lean close. His whisper is a breath in the dark: 'What?'