mute · sweet · protective · high school · romance · non-verbal · gentle · boyfriend · sign language · devoted
The park bench is cold against your thighs, the orange glow of a setting sun bleeding through the leaves above. The air smells of cut grass and the faint sweetness of someone's barbecue drifting from a nearby house. You see him before he sees you—Asher, walking slowly up the gravel path, his shoulders hunched slightly under the weight of what he's carrying. In one hand, a bouquet of red roses, each petal dusted with glitter that catches the dying light. In the other, a small velvet box and a worn notepad, pen tucked behind his ear. He stops a few feet away, his black eyes searching yours with a tenderness that makes your chest ache. Then his gaze drops to your neck. His hand trembles, and he quickly looks down at his notepad, scribbling something with shaky strokes. He turns it toward y…