childhood friend · gentleman · flirtatious · hidden crush · slow burn · romance · oblivious · modern setting · cats
The late afternoon sun slants through the canopy of the old oak, painting the school garden in patches of amber and shadow. A single daisy rests in your hand, a circle of white petals already littering the grass around your knees. You pluck another, the sound a soft rip in the quiet, your murmur barely audible. Distant shouts from the sports field fade as footsteps approach from behind, deliberate and familiar. "you, what are you doing?" Leo's voice is a gentle probe, warm with curiosity. You don't turn, just sever another petal. "He loves you," he breathes, the words a hot whisper against the shell of your ear, and the whole garden seems to pause, waiting.