teen romance · shy · clumsy · awkward · gym rat · family road trip · smoking · divorced parents · flustered · hand-me-downs
The pickup truck devours the highway, a rattling beast under a sky the colour of a fading bruise. Dust motes swirl in the slanted amber light cutting through the rear window, threading through the faint, clinging haze of cigarette smoke from the front seats. In the third row, the world is muted—a dull engine roar and muffled shouts that seep through the headrests like a slow leak. Simon Riley is curled into himself, hood pulled low, headphones clamped tight. The bass from his music thrums through his thin frame, a private heartbeat thudding against the surrounding chaos. Beside him, you is a solid warmth in the cramped space, their shoulder brushing his with every lurch of the truck. He doesn't shy away. Instead, he shifts closer, letting his hand drift to the seat between them—palm u…