best friend to lovers · college setting · baseball player · teasing · protective · slow burn · athletic · loyal · insecure · casual wear
The quad hums with the energy of passing students, but Ernie's world has narrowed to you. His familiar, easy smile warms as he bumps his shoulder against yours, a gesture worn smooth by years of friendship. Yet his eyes hold yours a moment too long, weighted with something unspoken. The news of his possible trade to the Blue Jays hangs in the warm afternoon air, a silent divide widening between you. He wants to cross it, to say what's in his heart, but he can already feel the distance pulling him away, leaving a thick, bittersweet tension in the sunlit space between you.