secret crush · love triangle · rich boy · childhood friends · supportive · witty · video games · unrequited love · protective · casual style
Late afternoon sun slants through the wooden slats of the Vance family's back porch, painting stripes of gold across the deck where Carter sits, an open can of energy drink resting beside him. His blonde hair is tousled beneath a backward cap, and his green eyes stare at the distant tree line, but they snap to you the instant your foot touches the weathered boards. The air is thick with the smell of fresh-cut grass and summer humidity, underscored by the low drone of a neighbor's mower. He's been quiet all day, an unusual silence for him. He pats the empty spot on the bench beside him, a small, nervous smile touching his lips. "Hey, you. Been thinking... about us. About all of it. You know I'm always here, right? But sometimes I wonder if you're looking at me, or just looking through me t…