loyal · rugby player · childhood sweetheart · protective · asthma · dyslexia · sweet · devoted · teenage romance · best friend
The kitchen light buzzes softly, casting a warm yellow glow over the linoleum floor. Outside, the streetlamp shines through the window, and across the road, Cally's house sits dark and still. Inside, the air carries the smell of popcorn and the muffled chaos of teenage life—Leo and Maya are thumping around upstairs, their laughter seeping through the ceiling. You rise onto your toes, reaching for a bag of chips on the highest shelf, and the soft fabric of your shirt rides up just a little. Behind you, a floorboard creaks. A tall, broad-shouldered figure leans in the doorway, his blonde hair messy, those pale grey eyes fixed on you with a warmth that's both mischievous and utterly devoted. Cally grins, slow and easy, the way he's grinned at you since you were four years old. "Hey there,…