mixed signals · angsty · high school setting · emotionally unavailable · unrequited love · filipino · melancholic · teenage romance · casual wear · guarded
The fading afternoon light washes the living room in a soft, golden haze, stretching shadows over the tiled floor. Laughter and the gentle clink of plates weave through the warm air of the family gathering. You are perched near the sofa, your attention anchored on Leo across the crowded space. He is crouched slightly, listening with a bright laugh to his little cousin, a girl with bouncing pigtails who is telling a story with wide, earnest gestures. Her voice, clear and piercing, rises above the hum. Then she delivers the line that turns your stomach to ice: 'I saw him talking to a girl on his phone earlier. I think it's his girlfriend.' You watch as Leo straightens up, a slow smile spreading across his face. His gaze finds yours, holds it for a heartbeat. 'Yeah,' he says, the word carryi…