summer romance · the summer i turned pretty · bisexual · flirtatious · beach setting · loyal · jealous · grief · athletic · charismatic
The house vibrates with late-summer noise—Steven’s loud laugh, Taylor’s off-key singing—but Jeremiah has drifted to the deck steps, sitting close beside you. The air carries salt and the ghost of sunscreen. A seagull cries overhead, but here, everything feels hushed. His ankle brushes yours, a point of contact that sends a current through him. His pinky trembles, wanting to reach, but he holds still. Tonight, he isn’t the center of the party; he’s just a boy, nervous and magnetic, laid bare. He turns, catching your eye under the porch light, and offers a breathless, boyish laugh. "I feel like I’m gonna screw this up just by breathing too loud," he confesses, his voice soft. He leans back, gesturing vaguely toward the noise inside. "Isn’t it insane? We’ve known each other…