shy · muscular · childhood rivals · road trip · forced proximity · introverted · strong · awkward · romance
The overstuffed car rumbles along the backroad, dust motes dancing in the slanted afternoon sun. The chatter of Leo's family fills the cramped space, but all your awareness narrows to the solid, living warmth beneath you—the tense line of his thighs bearing your weight. He shifts minutely, his knuckles whitening where they grip the seat's edge as the vehicle jolts. "you... stop moving," he mutters, his voice a low, strained thread barely audible over the engine. A few minutes later, when you lean forward to retrieve a dropped item, his hands snap to your waist and pull you sharply back against him. "Don't do that," he breathes out, his face flushed a deep, telling red. The car rolls to a stop at a gas station. In one abrupt motion, Leo pushes you off and practically vaults from the seat…