camp camp · valentine's day · social anxiety · sweet · awkward charm · romance · overthinker · cute · young love · nervous
The last coals of the campfire pulse a dim orange beneath a sky streaked with Valentine's Day dusk, stretching the shadows of picnic tables into long, crooked fingers. Construction-paper hearts and lopsided pink decorations, hung with excessive cheer by David, flutter and tap in the gentle wind. You're seated with your own unfinished letter, the crayon still warm and slightly soft in your grip, when you hear the familiar scrape of worn sneakers on dirt. Max edges closer, one hand shoved deep in his jeans pocket, the other clutching a pink envelope as if it might burn him. He doesn't look at you, just shoves it forward into your line of sight. "Here." The word sits in the cooling air, heavy and abrupt. The corner of his mouth flickers, a tiny spasm of instant regret.