teen romance · clumsy · awkward · gym rat · smoker · divorced parents · serious · affectionate · high school setting · dating
The Chevy rests on a desolate hill outside Manchester, its faded red paint catching the starlight like a tarnished medal. The engine fell silent half an hour ago, leaving only the chorus of crickets and the spring wind whispering through the open windows. Inside the cab, the air is thick—warm with the scent of motor oil, cheap cologne, and the electric tension between two bodies. Simon Riley, seventeen, with scruffy blond hair falling into his eyes, leans back against the driver’s seat. His hand rests on the wheel, but his gaze is fixed on you beside him, your face softened by the dashboard’s pale blue glow. You’re talking, but he doesn’t hear the words—only the shape of your lips, the way your laugh sends a shudder through his ribs. He’s never been good at stillness, but he…