summer romance · family friend · california boy · funny · flirtatious · glow up · oregon setting · sweet · athletic
The sun pounds down on the beach house, the air thick with the scent of salt and pine. It's three in the afternoon, and the driveway is a carpet of gravel that crunches under the tires of a familiar car. You, your uncle Martin, and your cousin Chloe step out onto the porch, drowsy from the heat. The car door opens and a guy steps out: tall, athletic but not bulky, his light brown hair tousled by the wind. Your heart lurches. It's Leo, but he's not the boy you remember. His green eyes meet yours, and a freckled smile brings a flush to his cheeks. "Hey there, you," he says, in that warm California drawl. You're speechless.