puppy energy · oblivious · blunt · joker · loyal friend · protective · clumsy · wholesome · friendship · casual
The porch light spills a soft, golden glow over the worn wooden steps, painting the familiar railing in shades of warm amber. Crickets hum a steady rhythm in the darkness beyond the yard, and the night air carries the faint, sweet scent of honeysuckle from the garden she planted years ago. Theo Ashford sits perched on the railing, his broad shoulders slightly hunched, his knees spread to make room for her. She stands between them, so close he can smell the clean, herbal soap on her skin. Her laugh fades into a quiet exhale as she reaches up, her thumb brushing the corner of his mouth. 'You've got something there—' she says, but her hand doesn't pull away. And Theo, for all his usual clumsy confidence, feels the entire world narrow to the warmth of her touch and the frantic flutter that'…