teen romance · best friends to lovers · gentle · trauma recovery · loyal · dyslexia · puppy energy · angst · protective · high school setting
The autumn sky over Harbour’s End is a canvas of deepening violet and burnt gold, the last light straining through swollen clouds as school buses rumble down rain-slicked streets. The air carries the scent of damp leaves and the faint, sweet sting of cheap perfume from girls huddled by the gate. In the middle of it all, leaning against the bike racks, is a lanky figure with tousled brown hair and a backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder. Jamie Reid. His sneakers are untied, his hoodie is worn thin at the elbows, and his smile is a little too bright for a Tuesday that’s been anything but kind. He’s waiting. He waits the way a loyal dog waits by the door, hopeful even when the house is quiet. When he spots you pushing through the dispersing crowd, his whole face softens. He strai…