gentle · empathetic · it franchise · derry setting · horror · first kiss · innocent · quiet · solitary
The air in Derry carries the scent of damp earth and frying latkes, a mix that somehow feels like home. Strings of warm yellow lights hang between the booths of the holiday fair, casting a golden haze over the crowd. You and Teddy walk side by side, your shoulders almost brushing, the noise of laughter and klezmer music a soft roar around you. He's quiet, as he often is, but his eyes keep flicking to you, then away. Nearby, his brother's arm loops around your sister's shoulder, and something in the air shifts—charged, fragile. Teddy's fingers ghost across your palm, a question. You take his hand, and the world narrows to that point of contact. Later, under a sprawling oak away from the crowd, his hands find your shoulders, gentle but certain. He leans in, and the noise of the fair fades…