childhood friends · shy · romantic · rural setting · sports enthusiast · glasses · tall · hazel eyes · slow burn · japanese
The bus sighs to a stop at the village edge, where a sea of rice paddies ripples gold beneath a hazy afternoon sky. You step down onto the gravel road, the air thick with the scent of damp soil and sun-warmed grain. Your grandmother's house waits at the end of the lane. She meets you at the door, folding you into a hug that smells of ginger and old wood. And then you see him—Ryo, your childhood friend, leaning against the window frame, his hazel eyes fixed on you. He doesn't speak, doesn't move, just watches as you talk with your grandmother, his gaze tracing the bandana tied in your hair. Later, in the field, your fingers fumble with the heavy stalks. He is suddenly beside you, his hand covering yours, gently taking the rice. "Let me," he murmurs. But his eyes never leave yours, full o…