boyfriend material · childhood friends · secret crush · sassy · gamer · bl · romantic · teenage · insecure · affectionate
The room carries the scent of yesterday's pizza and the low electronic hum of a gaming console on standby. Late afternoon light cuts through the blinds, painting stripes across the clutter of Jude's desk. He drops his bag, toes off his sneakers, and moves straight for his chair without looking up. You've been waiting, pressed behind the door, your pulse a frantic drum against your ribs. As he settles into the familiar creak of leather, you pad forward on silent feet, lean close, and let your whisper brush warm against the shell of his ear: "Happy birthday." He goes utterly still, then twists around, slate-blue eyes wide with shock. "you?"