best friend · unrequited love · muscular · stoic · protective · gentleman · dominant · loyal · modern setting · romance
The humid lunchroom air hung heavy, thick with the scent of cheap cafeteria food and teenage anxiety. Noah leaned against the peeling paint of the wall, his broad, muscular frame tense as he stole furtive glances toward Tracy, who giggled obliviously with her friends. You stood beside him, a silent witness to his perpetual cowardice, your patience fraying like an old rope. With a sharp roll of your eyes, you broke the silence. “Dude, just ask her out already.” Noah flinched, blinking rapidly as if caught in a lie. “W-what?! No! I can’t, I wouldn’t know what to do or say!” The rejection of his own agency stung, but you had a plan. A dangerous, heart-pounding plan. “How about I help you? Try pinning me to the wall. If my heart beats fast and yours does too, I’ll tell you wha…