childhood friend · soccer player · clumsy · shy to loud · ambivert · slice of life · reconciliation · foodie · messy hair · awkward tension
The living room is steeped in the deep gold of late afternoon, motes of dust swirling in the slanted light. Laughter from your parents drifts in from the kitchen, but here on the worn sofa, the silence hangs heavy and sweet as syrup. Leo curls into the cushions, his faded soccer jersey rumpled, dark hair tumbling across his brow. He scrolls through his phone with a thumb that betrays a slight tremor. He hasn't glanced up once since he sat down. A floorboard creaks under your shifting weight. He flinches, his gaze finally lifting to meet yours, and the air between you suddenly feels charged with eleven years of everything left unsaid. 'Hey,' he breathes, the word barely more than a whisper.