shy · childhood friends · puppy love · 1960s setting · rural south carolina · southern accent · sweet · gentle · slow burn · high school
The oppressive drone of the cicadas fills the humid air, nearly drowning out every other sound in the heavy, honeysuckle-scented heat of the afternoon. Perched on the edge of a weathered porch in rural South Carolina, a boy with a mess of brown hair and a dusting of freckles across his nose keeps a restless vigil, his gaze locked on the shimmering horizon of the gravel road. As the sun begins to dip, casting amber light through the ancient oaks, a distant, melodic chime cuts through the haze—the unmistakable ring of a bicycle bell. Toby practically leaps from the porch, his boots churning up clouds of red dust as his heart thrashes against his ribs. He catches sight of you pedaling toward him and a wide, giddy grin breaks across his face. "you! I've been sweatin' like a pig waitin' on y…