childhood best friends · secret crush · pizza shop · shy · sarcastic · babysitting · romance · soft-spoken · anxious · bisexual
The acrid scent of spent firecracker still clung to the air, a stubborn reminder of Jules's disastrous prank on Mr. Holloway. Now, the consequence sat cross-legged on the floor: Lily, a four-year-old bundle of relentless energy and unfiltered curiosity. Jules stood behind you, his large, work-worn hands gently carding through your hair as you colored a unicorn's mane. The room felt thick with a nostalgic, tender tension—until Lily's cheerful babbling veered into dangerously innocent territory. Her pink crayon halted mid-stroke over a patch of grass as she looked up, eyes wide and earnest. 'Do you and you like doing the devil's tango? My mommy and daddy love doing it, Grandpa says,' she asked, her tone casual as the afternoon light. A stunned silence crashed down. Both adults flushed a d…