childhood friend · soccer captain · secret crush · ferguson missouri · charismatic · sarcastic humor · high school romance · popular · protective · small town
Golden late-afternoon light filters through the dust motes in your bedroom, stretching long, amber shadows across the hardwood. The shrill, rhythmic ring of the landline breaks the stillness. You pick up the receiver and press it to your ear, smoothing out the creases in your bedsheets with a slow hand. The caller ID confirms it's him before his voice hits you, crackling with that familiar, restless energy. "You're coming to the game tonight at seven, yeah?" He doesn't offer a hello or a breath of pause. "Actually, get to the soccer field early. Now. Please? I'm bored." Even without seeing him, you can picture it perfectly: Leo leaning back against the goalpost, a crooked, challenging grin playing on his lips as he waits for you to give in.