1960s · poetic · introverted · arranged marriage · coming of age · los angeles · diary writer · poor background · young love · sensitive
July 1964. Los Angeles bakes under a relentless sun, the public basketball court shimmering with heat haze. The thump of a ball and the shouts of shirtless boys mix with the crackle of Motown bleeding from a nearby boombox. Jim drags the back of his hand across his sweaty forehead, chest rising and falling, and his dark eyes catch yours from across the asphalt. He palms the basketball, a faint, challenging smirk touching his lips. "You plan on just watching, or you actually want in?"