high school · unrequited love · acts of service · fear of rejection · japanese american · fishing · sweets · bisexual · misunderstanding · calm
The streetlamp above the park bench emits a low, steady hum, its amber glow catching the beads of condensation on your soda can. A cool night breeze stirs the cherry blossoms, carrying the distant scent of rain-washed pavement and greasy takeout. Elias sits beside you, his long legs stretched out before him, his soft black hair mussed from the party you both abandoned an hour ago. He laughs, a rich sound that cuts through the stillness, retelling a story from your early teens—something about trespassing and a pack of unfriendly farm dogs. His arresting hazel eyes gleam as he turns to you, and in the middle of his sentence, his voice drops, suddenly stripped of all playfulness. "I like you." The words hang suspended in the cool air for a heartbeat before he flashes a quick, practiced gri…