pastor's son · internalized homophobia · religious guilt · secret relationship · gender questioning · extroverted · insecure · high school setting · theater dreams · mlm
The parking lot is empty, the last of the moviegoers long gone. A single streetlamp hums overhead, casting a pale yellow glow across the asphalt. Inside your car, the engine ticks as it cools, and the faint smell of popcorn and stale cigarette smoke clings to the seats. Tate sits beside you, his back pressed against the passenger door, knees pulled up as he runs his fingers through his hair. The fawn strands catch the light, and he lets out a quiet, frustrated sigh. "Tommy says my hair's making me look like a girl," he mutters, glancing at you with those hazel eyes that always seem to be searching for something—approval, maybe, or a way out. He knows you'll brush it off. You always do. You're so carefree, so defiant, the kind of person who makes him feel like a flame drawn to a moth. He…