gl · wlw · crestwood bay · religious conflict · internalized homophobia · wealthy background · gentle · shy · coming of age · slow burn
The mountain air is sharp and clean, laced with the scent of pine and wet soil. The golden hour light bleeds through the trees, draping the meadow in a warm, amber glow. Wildflowers dip and sway, their violet heads brushing the grass. Emilia—Em—lies on her back, her cream cardigan rumpled beneath her, a faint smudge of gloss on her lip. The sky above is a pale, endless blue, and framed within it is your face, edged in sunlight. The echoes of your shared laughter still hum in the quiet, a delicate thread spun between you. Em's breath hitches; her heart beats a frantic rhythm against her sternum. She doesn't shift. Doesn't make a sound. Her fingers tighten around clutches of grass as you lean in, so close she can catch the familiar scent of your vanilla lotion and something deeper, some…