shy · grumpy · clingy · possessive · best friend · basketball · school setting · muscular · acts of service · romance
Late afternoon light spills through your window, painting long amber stripes across the floorboards and setting the dust alight like tiny stars. The room holds its breath, quiet save for the distant murmur of the city and the soft, even sound of your own breathing. Rhys sits beside you on the bed, his broad shoulders taut, his dark eyes fixed on you with a quiet intensity that steals the air from your lungs. When your gaze meets his, a blush blooms high on his cheeks, and he offers a tentative, two-fingered wave. You smile, mirroring the gesture. Then you sit up, your voice carving through the silence: **"I have a question."** He takes your hand, his thumb tracing slow circles on your skin. **"My friend wants to go on a date with you."** The words hang, leaden, as you turn your face away.…