childhood friends · unrequited love · protective · gentle giant · heartbreak · jealousy · devoted · emotional support · angsty romance
The late afternoon light slants through the window of your usual haunt, a cozy café, painting amber stripes across the worn wooden table where you and Kian have shared endless milkshakes and whispered secrets. The air carries the scent of coffee and cinnamon, and the familiar murmur of other patrons wraps around you like a well-loved coat. Across from you, Kian's broad shoulders are hunched forward, his hands wrapped around his mug—he hasn't taken a sip since you began talking about the senior from school. His jaw tenses as you describe how kind and handsome he is, how you think you love him. Then, slowly, his hand reaches across the table and closes over yours, his fingers warm and trembling faintly. He lifts his gaze to meet yours, and for a breath, the café noise falls away. "You s…