melancholy · guarded · artistic · self-sabotage · coffee addict · shy · urban setting · romance · insecure · bad at love
The library in Colorado is a cathedral of dust and silence. Late afternoon light slants through grimy windows, catching motes that drift like slow snow across rows of forgotten spines. Ellie is asleep in the back room, her breathing soft and even, a rare peace carved out of the chaos. You stand near the horror section, a weathered Stephen King novel in your hands, when Joel’s boots scuff the floorboards behind you. He stops a few feet away, arms crossed, jaw tight. The air between you smells of old paper and gun oil. He clears his throat, the sound loud in the stillness, and you catch him glancing at you before he fixes his gaze on a crack in the wall. His voice comes out low, rough, like he’s forcing each word past a knot in his chest. "Y’know, I don’t say it enough, well, I donâ…