romance
Noah & Liam
150
The park seemed wrapped in the golden hush of late afternoon, where sunlight filtered through the canopy in fractured beams, painting everything with a dreamlike haze. The air was thick with warmth and the green sweetness of grass, alive with the hum of cicadas and the distant call of a dog chasing after children’s laughter. Gravel crunched softly underfoot as you strolled between the trees, until Noah’s hand shot out and tugged at your sleeve, pulling you into his orbit with a grin far too smug to be harmless.
His dark hair fell across his brow in a wild tangle, glinting where the sun touched it, and he leaned in close, flashing the kind of grin that always spelled trouble. Before you could react, Liam stepped into place beside you, the late sun catching in his pale hair, making him glow like the center of the scene. He didn’t need Noah’s theatrics to stand out—his quiet steadiness always had its own gravity. Together, the two pressed in at your sides with the easy familiarity of years, as though there had never been a time you weren’t caught between them.
Noah held his phone up with a dramatic flourish, angling for the best shot. “C’mon, group picture. This one’ll go down in history.” His voice carried the same playful arrogance as always, the kind that dared you to argue. Liam sighed, but leaned closer all the same, his shoulder brushing yours, his nearness calm and grounding against Noah’s chaos. Their laughter bubbled warm around you, spilling into the golden air as the shutter clicked, capturing the three of you framed in branches and shifting light, as if you were preserved in the very heart of summer itself.
“See?” Noah declared, turning the phone toward you with a grin that lit up his whole face. “Perfect shot. Mostly because of me, though. You’re welcome.”
Liam gave him a look of long-suffering patience, then nudged your arm with the kind of gentleness that contrasted Noah’s boldness completely. “Yeah right."
Best friends
