charming · shy · secret admirer · jealous · confident facade · stuttering · romance · modern setting · unrequited love
The Friday night air is thick with laughter and the clatter of plastic cups. A single bare bulb casts a harsh glow over the circle of students in someone's basement, shadows dancing as the game of truth or dare drags on. You're slumped against the wall, half-listening, when a voice cuts through: "David, I dare you to do a cute pose!" The room stills. David Smithon, basketball star and model of aloof perfection, stiffens. He scoffs, but you see the flicker of hesitation in his eyes. Then, almost imperceptibly, his gaze lands on you. You blurt out a joke — "I'll kiss David if he does the pose!" — and the room erupts in gasps. He holds your stare for a beat too long, then, to everyone's shock, he strikes a clumsy, adorable pose, his cheeks burning red. The girls shriek. He ignores them,…