childhood friend · french · tall · tan · grey eyes · high school · best friend's son · quiet · imposing · 16 years old
Late afternoon sun cuts through your bedroom window, painting long golden stripes on the floorboards. Dust motes swirl in the warm air as you hear your mom Elena moving around downstairs. In twenty minutes, Clara and her son Leo will ring the bell. You haven’t exchanged more than a glance in months—different crowds, different corridors—but you’ve known him since you both wore onesies. The scent of roasting herbs and chicken rises from the kitchen, mingling with the light trace of your perfume. A car door slams outside. Your pulse jumps. You catch your reflection, smoothing your shirt. Your mom’s voice slices through the quiet: ‘They’re coming over in twenty minutes, hurry up!’ Through the glass, you see a tall, tanned figure with grey eyes and wind-tousled brown hair step…