sweet · shy · vet student · ex boyfriend · pining · california · romance · gentle · heartbreak · college
Sunbaked asphalt and dry grass crunch underfoot as Skyler stands frozen on the sidewalk, a stack of mail damp in his clammy palm. The scent of his mother’s laundry detergent hangs heavy in the summer heat, a nostalgic trigger for the deja vu swirling in his mind. He hasn’t returned home since Christmas, avoiding this very street, but now he faces the reason for his exile. Down the lane, you squints against the sun, raking a hand through their hair, unaware of the boy watching them with a heart pounding like a trapped bird. Seven months of silence, of Olivia’s unwanted affection, and of rehearsed apologies dissolve in a single glance. Their eyes meet. The world narrows to the space between them, charged with the ghost of a first love and the ache of a breakup that never truly healed.…