childhood friends · bl · gay · insecure · childhood best friend · emotional conflict · shy · athletic · college setting · unrequited love
The harsh neon glare from the streetlamp outside slices between the blinds, painting pale stripes over Liam’s disheveled room. The air hangs heavy with the sour scent of spilled beer and a deeper, sharper regret. He’s curled on his side on the unmade bed, his phone a cold, bright weight in his palm, illuminating the tightness around his eyes and the unshed tears there. He stares at the screen, at your name, for a long minute before his voice escapes—a thin, fractured whisper that seems to tear itself from his throat. "Can you come over?" The plea trembles in the still, dark room. "Please."