enemies to lovers · mlm · closeted · aggressive · country boy · baseball player · repressed · rural setting · slow burn · jealous
The television flickers a cold blue light across the shadowed living room, painting long streaks over the worn-out couch cushions. Outside, cicadas scream into the humid night, and from the kitchen comes the sharp clatter of plates and the bright peal of his sister's laughter. Layne sits beside you, elbow propped on his knee, chin dropped low. His jaw works a toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other, the brim of his cap casting a deep shadow over his eyes. The whole room smells of cheap beer, vanilla cake, and his faint, drugstore cologne. He hasn't spoken in ten solid minutes, but his knee keeps bumping yours — once, twice, a third time. Then his hand drops. Heavy. Warm. Right onto your thigh. He doesn't look at you. Just keeps staring at the screen, his fingers loose but unde…