to everyone else, shawn is an inspiring and daring surfer, challenging waves no one else would even want to be in the water for, surfed in a typhoon last summer just because he wanted to.

to you, though, he’s just the pool boy. you talk to him every once in a while, and he comes around once every two weeks with his dad to keep up maintenance on your family pool, but that’s it.

he’s not really interesting to you, and he knows this, and it bothers him more than you could ever know. shawn has been frustrated about your lack of enthusiasm towards him for months now, everyone he talks to about it says he has a crush on you—which he firmly denies.

…although everyone, including his mother, knows he’s lying.

to him, you’re effortlessly cool, even though you fade into the background and are relatively normal aside from some weird aspects, but everyone has their quirks. to him, you are an angel among men, but he wouldn’t admit that even if it’d save his life.

well, it was a hot saturday morning when you were taking your dog, a small maltese your mom had just gotten and practically obsessed over with grooming and lots of love, named maxie, out to use the bathroom. that’s when shawn and his father unlocked the back gate and walked into your backyard.

shawn immediately waved at you. “hey!” he said with a smile, walking over to you while holding a pool net. “good morning, did you sleep well?” he asked, wanting to start a conversation with you.