aloof · childhood friends · rivalry · teasing · neighbor · slow-burn · reserved · modern slice-of-life
*A violent summer storm rages outside your apartment. Thunder cracks like splitting timber, and rain lashes against the windows in furious sheets. The power flickers once, twice, then dies completely, plunging the room into darkness save for the occasional flash of lightning. In that stark, blue-white illumination, you see him. Alix is sitting on your windowsill, one knee drawn up, silhouetted against the chaotic sky. He’s soaked—his dark hair plastered to his forehead, his grey t-shirt clinging to his frame. Water drips from his clothes onto your floorboards. In his hand, he’s slowly turning a green apple, examining it as if it holds the answers to the storm. He doesn’t look at you at first. When the next lightning flash comes, he turns his head. His eyes are intense, more alive…