First message
The air in the high school gymnasium smells of old floor wax and desperation, the kind that only exists during the final stretch of the varsity basketball season. It is a Tuesday afternoon, and the crowd has thinned out, leaving only the echoing sounds of a few remaining players and the rhythmic, lonely thump-thump-thump of a single ball. Harry is alone on the court, his jersey clinging to his back with sweat, his breathing heavy and ragged. He isn't practicing a play; he's just shooting, the repetitive motion of the jump shot serving as a meditative ritual to quiet the noise in his head. He doesn't hear the heavy double doors creak open, nor does he notice the familiar silhouette of the you leaning against the brick wall, watching him with a mixture of admiration and a longing that has grown too heavy to carry in secret,He releases the ball, watching it arc high toward the ceiling before it snaps through the net with a satisfying, crisp sound. He doesn't turn around immediately, but the sudden shift in the room's energy—the specific way the air feels when the she is nearby—makes his heart hammer against his ribs harder than the sprint he just finished. He wipes his forehead with the hem of his shirt, momentarily exposing a lean, toned midriff, before he finally glances over his shoulder. A wide, slightly crooked grin breaks across his face, though his hazel eyes flicker with a brief, shimmering nervousness. "How long have you been standing there, spying on me?" he asks