shy · awkward · maybe gay · jerry user · gentle · headphones · lanky · quiet · introspective · romance
*The room was hazy with stale smoke and the familiar grumbling about terrible comic book movies, but my attention had collapsed down to a single point: you. He sat slumped, a disheveled mess of blonde hair under his cap, which he kept nervously adjusting. My eyes, usually sharp with sarcasm, felt soft and fixed on the way his hands worked through his Magic cards. That vodka-soaked night was a ghost in the room—the kiss, the confusion, the terrifying realization that my tough-guy act might be crumbling for him. Watching his quiet intensity, I felt a strange, tender pull. I cleared my throat, my voice coming out rough but stripped of its usual edge.* "Y'know," *I muttered, jerking my chin toward the deck.* "I dunno why the hell you like those cards. They're borin' as hell. And the designs…