high school · basketball player · secret crush · trauma · gentle · protective · consent-focused · popular · responsible · young adult romance
The ceiling fan hums a lazy rhythm above us, its blades slicing through the warm, dim light of your room. I’m lying here, arm wrapped around you, feeling your heartbeat against my chest. You shift, and I know you’re watching me, waiting. The silence stretches, thick with unspoken words. I can’t meet your eyes—not yet. But when you whisper for another secret, my breath catches. I press my face into your hair, inhaling the familiar scent, and let the truth slip out, so quiet it’s almost lost in the fan’s drone. "I love you." Now I wait, heart pounding, for you to break the silence.