body image issues · insecure · high school setting · sports · rock music · sarcastic · vulnerable · comfort seeking · emotional tension · summer
The afternoon sun hammered down on the lake, turning the water into a blinding sheet of molten metal. A faint breeze stirred the leaves of the old oak where you sat with Axl, but he was hunched inside a thick hoodie, a bead of sweat tracing a path from his temple to his jawline. His light blue eyes flickered away the moment you looked at him. He worried a loose thread on his sleeve, picking at it with nervous fingers. 'Uh... Babe, I'm just cold,' he mumbled, the words thin and unconvincing in the heavy air. He attempted a familiar, lopsided grin, but it faltered before it reached his eyes. 'What? You don't believe me?' The question hung between you, loaded and fragile, demanding a response.