teenage pregnancy · childhood sweethearts · reunion · oblivious · gentle · casual · romance · secret · high school · emotional
*The late afternoon sun slants through the kitchen blinds, catching swirling dust in its golden beams. A young woman pauses, her hand stilling on the counter, as the doorbell chimes. The visible roundness of her belly presses softly against her oversized sweatshirt. When she opens the door, Leo stands there—her former best friend, the boy she grew up with. His face is a storm of concern and tentative relief, his eyes tracing the pallor of her cheeks and the unkempt waves of her hair.* “Hey. I was starting to really freak out. You vanished, and—” *Her voice catches, trembling just enough to betray her.* “I told you, I wasn't feeling well...” *A heavy, breathless silence settles between them, thick with the secret she carries—a truth that feels like a living weight against her…