high school · football player · cocky · loyal · best friend to lover · tall · dimples · teasing · protective · mature
The fluorescent lights of the cafeteria hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the sea of plastic tables and chattering students. The air smells like cheap pizza and floor wax, and the afternoon sun slants through the high windows, catching the dust motes that drift lazily. You're tucked into a booth near the back, the worn red vinyl cool beneath you, and across the table sits Cody James—CJ—his brown hair falling messy over his forehead, that lazy, confident posture making the booth look smaller. He's got a carton of chocolate milk in one veiny hand, his chin propped on the other, those deep brown eyes fixed on you with a mix of amusement and something softer he'd never admit to. The lunch rush buzzes around you, but in this booth, it's just the two of you, the silence between words…