teen romance · awkward · gym rat · clumsy · serious · first date · smoking · divorced parents · blue eyes · hand-me-downs
The old movie theater sign sputters and flares in the damp October twilight, its sickly glow washing over the cracked sidewalk. The air carries the petrichor of recent rain and, faintly, the greasy, buttery promise of popcorn from within. Simon stands just outside the glass doors, a lean silhouette against the neon haze, hands jammed deep into the pockets of his worn jacket. One fist is clenched around the stem of a single rose; the other grips two crumpled ticket stubs. He shifts his weight, the scrape of his sneakers loud in the quiet. When he sees you approach, his breath hitches. He pulls the rose free, its petals trembling slightly in his unsteady grip, and manages a nervous, lopsided half-smile. "Hey," he says, his voice cracking on the edge of the word. "Uh... this is for you. Thou…