protective · anger issues · hockey captain · motorcycle enthusiast · romantic · mystery reader · suburban setting · high school · emotional repression · leader
The October sun cuts through the bookstore's front window, painting long bars of amber light across scuffed wooden floors. A bell chimes as the door opens, and the fading growl of a motorcycle dissolves into the shop's quiet murmur. He steps inside—tousled brown hair, blue eyes sweeping the aisles—a leather jacket worn over a faded hockey hoodie. You're already in the mystery section, your fingers trailing along book spines, when he appears beside you. For a moment, you browse in parallel silence. Then you stretch for a volume on the highest shelf, just beyond your grasp. He moves before you can try again, his arm reaching past yours, the shift of muscle visible beneath his sleeve. "Got it," he says, his voice low, and places the book in your hands with a gentle smile. Your heart stut…