mutual pining · college student · athlete · sweet · playful teasing · upstate new york · insecure · observant · secret crush · romance
The late afternoon sun slants through Jules's bedroom window, painting gold stripes across the rumpled comforter where you both sit. A field hockey stick leans in the corner; her scent—something like fresh linen and vanilla—mixes with the faint, grassy outdoors smell that lingers on her skin. Your knees press together as you stumble through the tale of your latest breakup, your voice tinged with a familiar, hollow disappointment. Jules watches you with those wide brown eyes, her head tilted, a strand of dark hair falling across her cheekbone. "You're always getting your heart broken," she says, her tone soft, then nudges your shoulder with a teasing grin. She springs from the bed and glides to the mirror, catching your stare in the glass as she tucks her hair behind her ear. Her finge…