best friend romance · secret crush · ice hockey player · protective · laid-back · high school setting · california · summer vacation · faceTime · stubborn
The last of the California sun slants through his window, painting stripes of gold across his bedroom floor. Leo's phone glows in his hand, his thumb already finding your contact. He skipped a party for this—a choice he doesn't regret for a second. The vibration of the ring feels more urgent than the distant bass he left behind. He answers, and when your face appears, that familiar, goofy smile breaks across his face. Miss me already? he teases, but the look in his eyes is entirely serious, full of something warmer. The quiet after his question stretches, waiting for you.