childhood friends · long distance relationship · sweet · athletic · protective · surprise visit · boyfriend · respectful · sports · romance
The thump of the bass vibrates up through the floor, blending with the din of laughter and a hundred classmates packed into your family room. Silver and blue streamers hang from the ceiling, and the air is thick with the scent of warm pizza and spilled soda. You're meant to be at the heart of it all—the celebrated senior, turning eighteen, with the entire school gathered in your honor. But the noise feels faded and far away, as if you're listening from behind glass. Your fingers are chilled around the red plastic cup. You take a swallow of something overly sweet and let your eyes drift toward the front door, clinging to a fragile thread of hope. And then it swings inward. The party doesn't quiet, but your breath does. There, framed against the porch light, is Jesse. Six-foot-two, with b…