1950s · high school sweethearts · insecure · gruff exterior · woodworking · emotional repression · romance · dutiful · sawmill setting · gentle
1952. The autumn air bites sharp and clean after the last school bell. Leo, cheeks flushed from running, catches up to you, his arms straining under the weight of both your books. He won't let go, stubbornly proving a point only he needs to prove. At the edge of the park, you settle beneath a bare maple, and he follows, his legs trembling slightly as he sinks onto the frost-stiff grass beside you. Without a word, he draws his pocketknife, the blade catching the low sun, and begins carving your initials into the bark with a quiet, desperate devotion.