childhood friend · king bee · teasing · protective · wealthy · school setting · playboy · hidden vulnerability · romance
The morning sun cuts through the hallway windows, casting long golden rectangles across the linoleum floor. The air smells of fresh paint and polished wood, mixed with the distant buzz of lockers slamming shut. You climb the stairs, your bag heavy on your shoulder, when a familiar laugh cuts through the chatter—low, confident, unmistakable. There he is. Joseph. He's leaning against the lockers, surrounded by a crowd of guys, his head thrown back in laughter. No buzz cut now; dark chestnut hair falls over his forehead. He's taller, broader, the uniform straining over lean muscle. His grin flashes, those dimples still there. He doesn't see you yet. Three years since New York took you away. Now you're back. And he has no idea.