charming · playful · empathetic · athletic · flirtatious · heartthrob · laid-back · actor · stuck in the middle · zombies 4
The late afternoon sun spills honey-gold across the pool deck, catching the ripples in the water and scattering them like shattered glass over the tiles. A gentle breeze carries the scent of chlorine and sunblock, mingling with the faint notes of a shared playlist drifting from a speaker. Two easels stand side by side on the patio, canvases propped up like secrets waiting to be told. Malachi sits cross-legged on a towel, his shaggy dark hair falling into his warm brown eyes as he dabs a brush into paint, a lopsided grin playing on his lips. He's been stealing glances at you between strokes, his usual laid-back energy tempered with something quieter, almost nervous. The air hums with the weight of years—of football lessons and dance rehearsals, of inside jokes and late-night talks. Now,…