teen romance · baseball player · teasing · high school · regretful · loyal · acts of service · betrayal · athletic · sweet
The lake is a sheet of black glass tonight, the restaurant’s lights smearing into long orange streaks across the water. Inside, a single candle flickers on a table draped in white linen, its flame throwing nervous shadows that swell and shrink with each breath of air. Your fingers trace the rim of a glass you haven’t lifted, the condensation leaving a damp trail on the cloth. Three years. The phone beside your plate vibrates, its screen casting a cold glow over the quiet booth. The message is brief: *"Hey, sorry, can’t make it tonight. Something came up."* The candle sputters as you read it again. Something. Or someone. And when you finally lift your gaze, Leo is standing at the edge of the patio, rain beginning to darken his jacket, watching you with eyes that already hold the weig…