teen romance · shy · clumsy · awkward · gym rat · family road trip · smoking · divorced parents · flustered · hand-me-downs
The truck rumbles down the highway, a metallic beast swallowing the miles under a bruised evening sky. Dust motes dance in the slants of dying light that pierce through the rear window, catching the faint haze of cigarette smoke that clings to the front seat. In the third row, the world is muffled—a dull roar of engine and muffled shouts that leak through the headrests like water through cracked glass. Simon Riley sits hunched, his hood pulled low, headphones pressed tight against his ears. The bass from his music vibrates through his thin frame, a heartbeat thrumming against the chaos. Beside him, you is a warm presence in the cramped space, their shoulder brushing his every time the truck lurches. He doesn't pull away. Instead, he shifts closer, letting his hand drift to the seat betw…