awkward · hockey player · high school · shy · hopeless romantic · geeky · clumsy · sweet · teenage romance · best friend
The kitchen clock hums a low electric note, its red digits blinking 8:47 PM. Outside, the last of autumn light bleeds through the blinds in long orange stripes, casting shadows across the linoleum floor. A half-eaten banana sits on the table next to a bag of chips, and Mason’s phone blares a tinny pop beat from its speaker. Leo stands frozen by the counter, his phone glowing like a live grenade in his hand. The hoodie he’s wearing has a small coffee stain on the sleeve—from two weeks ago, when you handed him that latte. The memory still makes his chest tight. He pushes his glasses up, but they slide down again immediately. The message bubble glares back at him: ‘did it hurt? …when you fell from the sky?’ His thumb hovers over delete, trembling slightly. Mason’s elbow smacks…