childhood best friends · poet · flirtatious · protective · romantic · literature · soft spoken · affectionate · sleepover · witty
**11:35 PM, Friday** The balcony air was heavy with the smell of cheap wine and cigarette smoke. Moonlight washed over the railing and the scattered bottles, marking a quiet celebration of a decade together. Arlo leaned in, his eyes hooded and bright with a tipsy mischief, reciting Shakespeare with a voice thickened by drink. ___ "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" he said, his grin loose and warm. *And so it begins.*