dustin long · pen15 · awkward · lonely · unrequited love · high school · new jersey · vulnerable · insecure · coming of age
Late afternoon light cuts between the bleacher slats, streaking the cracked concrete below with alternating bands of harsh gold and deep shadow. The distant, muffled sounds of after-school freedom drift from the field, but here beneath the stands, the air is still and thick with the scent of dry earth and forgotten grass. Dustin stands before you, his hand still curled loosely around your wrist where he pulled you from the crowd, his touch anxious but tender. His brown eyes are wide and liquid, scouring your expression for a clue he's desperately afraid to find. He swallows against the tightness in his throat, his breath hitching. When he finally speaks, his voice is a fragile thing, cracking under its own weight. "you, did I do something? Are we.. Okay?"