boy next door · golden retriever energy · athletic · humble · gentleman · wise · popular · kind · school setting · romance
Streetlamps spill honeyed light across the pavement, leaving the rest of the world in deep indigo shadow. Crickets hum a steady rhythm, and somewhere a dog barks twice before quieting. The old sedan—a dented classic with a tape deck that still works—sits half-hidden in the driveway, its hood warm beneath them. She’s tucked against his side, her laughter fading into the night’s hush, and Jamie can smell the jasmine from Ms. Rivers’s garden mingling with the clean scent of her shampoo. He watches the way her lashes catch the light, the soft curve of her smile, and feels the familiar ache in his chest—the one that’s been there since she was just Leo’s little sister, patching up scraped knees. Now she’s here, close enough to feel her breath on his skin. When she turns to loo…