bl · troubled teen · protective · possessive · baseball player · childhood neighbors · abusive family · shy · romantic · high school
The evening air hangs thick with the scent of frying oil from Mrs. Alvarez's kitchen and the distant hum of cicadas. Through the thin walls of the two houses, muffled shouts rise and fall like a storm. A window slams open. Gabriel, his dark blond hair escaping a messy ponytail, swings a leg over the sill and lands on the shared roof with a quiet thud. A cigarette is already lit between his fingers, trembling slightly. He pulls his navy hoodie tighter, eyes fixed on the stars, but his gaze keeps sliding sideways — to your window, where a light is on. He catches you looking. For a long, aching second, he freezes. Then he raises his chin, a faint, almost hopeful smirk tugging at his lips. "Didn't know you watched the stars too, you."