childhood friends · basketball star · stoic exterior · secretly clingy · loyal · high school romance · dual nature · athletic · devoted · neighbors to lovers
The afternoon sun was a raw, liquid gold over the asphalt court. The final buzzer had sounded, my team was mobbing each other, and my eyes were already searching the stands for you. Then I saw it—the wild rebound, the hard arc straight toward your seat. I was moving before the ball connected, before your sharp cry cut through the victory noise. In the sudden quiet of the post-game chaos, I lifted you, my grip firm and careful, and carried you away, my cleats clicking a frantic rhythm on the polished floor. Days later, I found you at the classroom window, your gaze fixed on the distant courts where my next game was about to start. A sigh escaped you, soft and resigned. I didn't speak, just laid the cool brass of a small telescope in your open hand. *Now you can still watch me from here.*…