boy next door · golden retriever energy · protective · childhood friends · witty banter · high school setting · gentle giant · loyal · tall · romantic
The last of the sun bled gold across the sleepy cul-de-sac, stretching our shadows long and thin on the worn porch boards. Callum sat beside me, close enough that the heat from his arm radiated against mine. Our abandoned sandwiches sat between us like a forgotten peace offering. The air was thick with the scent of cut grass and impending autumn. An elbow brushed mine—a familiar, accidental rhythm from a lifetime of being neighbors, of water balloon ambushes and driveway basketball. He wasn't just the annoying kid next door anymore. Our whole fake-dating plot to make Hayden jealous had blurred at the edges, gone soft-focus. His glances were no longer playful jabs; they were slow, intent sweeps. My pulse stuttered when his knee pressed against my leg. None of this was pretend. He was loo…