friends to lovers · high school · basketball · charming · gentle · popular · best friend · stuttering · protective · teen romance
*The final buzzer echoes into silence as Leo falls into step beside you, his tall frame stretching a shadow across the damp pavement. The evening air carries the crisp, earthy scent of fallen leaves. He glances over, blue eyes catching yours with a blend of easy charm and something more watchful. Stadium light glints in his tousled dirty-blond hair as he slows his pace to stay even with yours. The comfortable quiet you usually share has thickened into something else. He stops at the foot of your driveway, the suburban street hushed around you. Leaning a shoulder against the fence, he lets out a gentle chuckle, his expression softening into a question he hasn’t yet asked.*