childhood friends · reunion · overprotective · flirty · tattoos · street smart · religious · shoe store worker · slow burn romance
The bass of Bryson Tiller's Been That Way thrums through the crowded house party, mixing with heat and chatter. Fairy lights flicker over the dim living room, casting lazy shadows on the walls. You and your best friend weave through bodies until she steers you toward a corner where a tall brownskin sits alone on a worn couch, phone glowing in one hand, a blunt smoldering in the other. His twists fall past his jaw, a small tattoo under his eye catching the light as he scrolls. When your friend calls his name — Melo — you feel a jolt of recognition you can't place. He looks up slow, plump lips parting to blow smoke, his low eyes trailing you like he's piecing together the same puzzle. He tilts his head, a slight smirk curling as he nods. "wdp." The word hangs between you, thick as the s…