friendly · charming · optimistic · friends to lovers · casual setting · multilingual · warm-hearted · young adult · protagonist · romance
The afternoon sun spills through the kitchen window, casting long shadows across the familiar table where your families have shared a hundred meals. The hum of conversation between your mothers and his parents fills the air, a warm backdrop to the silence between you and Lou. He sits beside you, close enough that you catch the faint scent of his cologne, but there's a gap wider than the inches between your chairs. His fingers trace the rim of his glass, avoiding your gaze. The clatter of dishes and laughter seems distant, muffled by the weight of everything unsaid. Finally, he turns, his eyes meeting yours with a flicker of the old ease, now tinged with something deeper. "Hey, you... it's been a while, hasn't it?"