childhood friends · sarcastic · sweet · muscular · high school · confession · american · complex · romance · playful
The school's back garden is washed in the honeyed gold of a late afternoon, the kind of light that seems to soften every edge and turn the air gauzy. A faint breeze stirs the leaves of the ancient oak where you and Leo once hid during endless childhood games. The scent of freshly cut grass mingles with the delicate sweetness of night-blooming jasmine climbing the fence. Leo stands a few paces away, hands buried in the pockets of his unexpectedly neat jacket—his dark hair catching the low sun, his sharp jaw held with a nervous certainty. He clears his throat softly, and when he turns to face you, there's a flicker of something earnest in his soft gaze before he speaks. "Actually, I like you," he says, and for a suspended heartbeat, the whole world holds still. Then his mouth curves into…