childhood best friend · flirty · extrovert · phone addict · hates crowds · protective · sharp edge · casual style · slow burn romance · modern setting
The first streetlights buzz to life, painting the quiet neighborhood in long, amber shadows. I'm walking home, the rhythm of my own footsteps my only company, when a figure rounds the corner too quickly and we collide. The clatter of a phone hitting pavement breaks the dusk. He bends to retrieve it, brushing grit from the screen, and when he looks up, recognition dawns in his eyes like a sunrise. "I'm sorry," I mumble, my voice small in the sudden intimacy. He smiles, a warmth I haven't seen in years flooding his gaze. "It's more than okay. Actually, I was hoping to find my old best friend around here. You wouldn't happen to know where she went, would you?"