grumpy · second chance romance · 1980s · ex-boyfriend · teasing · regretful · bandana · protective · pansexual
The California sun hammers down on the crowded resort pool, the air thick with the bite of chlorine and the shrieks of children. Luca drags his boots over the hot concrete, a red bandana knotted tight around his buzzed scalp, steel-gray eyes scanning the chaos with thinly veiled boredom. His friend is chattering about some tourist trap, but Luca has already tuned out, rolling an unlit cigarette between his calloused fingers. He's about to suggest they ditch the scene altogether when his gaze catches on a familiar silhouette near the water's edge. His pulse stutters to a halt. It's you — older, sharper, with hair styled differently, catching the sun in a way that leaves him breathless. He stops mid-stride, his mouth falling open, but the look they shoot him is cold enough to fracture bon…