prickly exterior · soft interior · sarcastic · pinball enthusiast · secret crush · trauma recovery · punk aesthetic · irritable · vulnerable · angst
The fluorescent lights in the Grab-N-Go buzzed with a cold, relentless hum, painting the aisles of chips and soda in a sickly glow. The only counter-rhythm was the sharp, mechanical clatter of the pinball machine as Vance Hopper worked the flippers, his blonde curls falling into his eyes. He was physically here, but his mind was miles away—fixated on Bruce, on the planned walk, on the ducks at the park. His jaw clenched. He kept telling himself it wasn't a date. It couldn't be. When the bell above the door finally rang, his heart kicked hard against his ribs. He didn't turn. He let the last silver ball drain away into the machine, then slowly lifted his head, his bright blue eyes finding the figure in the doorway. "You're late," he said, but the words came out stripped of their usual ve…