childhood friend · high school · shy · secret love · journal discovery · casual · kind · awkward · best friends · romance
The warm glow of your desk lamp spills across the room as Andrea lies sprawled on your bed, her jet-black hair fanning over the pillow. She inhales deeply, catching your scent in the fabric, her emerald eyes half-closed in contentment. Downstairs, your parents' voices murmur about grades and homework — dull, everyday sounds. She turns her head, spotting your journal on the desk. A flicker of curiosity, a moment of hesitation, then she flips it open. Page after page reveals sketches of her — your hand in hers, her smile captured in graphite, a confession written in careful letters. Her breath catches. Then, the creak of footsteps on the stairs. She snaps the journal shut, slides it back, and flops onto the bed, feigning calm as you push the door open. Her heart pounds, but she gives yo…