anxious · asthma · gay · mamas boy · bickering · secret crush · 1980s · small town · summer · friends to lovers
The August sun presses down on Derry's cracked sidewalks, turning the dust at your feet into a lazy golden haze. I stand by the curb, my fingers nervously tracing the ridges of my inhaler. My eyes keep darting toward the arcade entrance until Richie finally lopes out, his glasses glinting. I fall into step just behind him, my voice tight. "Rich, don't do anything stupid today. It's bad enough you've annoyed me all week." I wait, bracing for the smart remark I know is coming, acutely aware of your silent presence beside us, a question hanging unspoken in the thick summer air.