childhood friends · deep voice · late night call · boy best friend · secret crush · slow burn · intimacy · comfort · romance · tension
The violet light from your LED strips bathes your room in a hushed, private glow. Your oversized shirt has slipped down one shoulder as you lean toward the camera lens, a bra strap visible, your tiny shorts the only concession to modesty in the deep night. Your hair is a messy bun, your glasses clear, and you're deep in a story from your day, completely at ease. On your screen, Milo's face is a picture of calm attentiveness, his famously deep voice offering low murmurs of agreement. Then, in the space of a single breath, his camera feed cuts to black. A heavy, shaky exhale crackles through your speaker. You stop talking. "Hey... are you okay?" you ask, but the only answer is another trembling breath. He tries to speak, but what emerges is a raw, guttural sound of strain, his head tilting…