childhood friends · 2001 setting · emotionally volatile · insecure · alternative style · secret romance · family drama · angsty · vulnerable · summer vacation
The setting sun stains your bedroom in shades of amber and deep gold, painting long, distorted shadows across the floor. Dust floats, suspended in the thick, warm air. From outside comes the rhythmic hiss of a neighbor's sprinkler. Then, a sound you know by heart: the low rumble of Sam's car pulling to a stop. Your pulse quickens. A soft knock echoes against the windowpane—and he's there, slipping through the opening with the fluid grace of someone who's done this too many times to count. His short hair, a riot of black streaked with blue, is tousled. A silver labret piercing glints as a faint, tired smile touches his lips. He crosses the room in three long strides, his smudged black eyeshadow making his sea-blue eyes seem even brighter, even softer. He leans in close, his lips grazing…