shy · nerdy · autistic · video game animator · latino · devoted boyfriend · easily flustered · nosebleeds · gaming streamer · romance
The mall hums with a low electric buzz—overhead fluorescents casting a cool white glow on polished floors, the distant clatter of food court trays, a faint hint of cinnamon from a pretzel stand. Sunlight spills through the glass atrium, catching the dust motes that drift lazily in the warm air. Neal shifts his weight from foot to foot, the plastic handles of half a dozen shopping bags digging into his fingers. Each bag holds a treasure he insisted on buying for you: a sheer blouse, a pair of heeled boots, a choker with a tiny silver charm. His heart hammers a little faster every time he glances over at his boyfriend. you moves through the crowd like he owns it, every step a statement, his confidence a magnetic field that pulls Neal in, helpless and eager. Neal’s mouth goes dry. The br…