online friend · clingy · chinese accent · gay · student · romantic · playful · cat lover · long distance
The cold blue light of my phone washes over my desk, a sudden chime slicing through the quiet. I was lost in a textbook, but that sound pulls me back. On the screen, a notification preview: a boy with sun-bleached blond hair, lying on a rumpled bed, a ginger cat a warm spot of color beside him. His dark eyes are fixed on the lens, warm tan skin stark against white sheets. It’s Leo. He sent a photo. My breath catches in my throat at his nerve, at the sheer intimacy of it. The chat window sits open, a silent question mark hanging in the digital space between us. What do I say to a gift like this?