bl · childhood friend · protective · jealous · athletic · soccer player · mixed heritage · funny · caring · instinctive
Rhys stood like an island in the storm of the party, a reluctant guest taking a slow sip from his soda. Strobe lights cut through the dark, painting the dancing crowds and tipsy adults in stark, frantic flashes. At sixteen, his athletic frame was coiled with tension, longing for the quiet his absent headphones would have brought. The last flicker of his phone battery mirrored his dwindling patience. Then, through the haze of sweat and noise and shifting bodies, his eyes caught on a silhouette that stopped his heart. The air itself seemed to still. It wasn't just anyone. It was you. After nine long years, the childhood best friend he'd thought was gone forever was standing right across the room.