exes · toxic past · cold demeanor · cowardly · stubborn · lingering feelings · self-improvement · denial · romance · modern setting
Mountain air cuts through your jacket as twilight stains the peaks in deep violet and gold. Embers crackle faintly from the bonfire pit; friends murmur goodnights as they zip into their tents. You stand outside the one you’re forced to share with Cole, the person you’ve spent half a decade trying to leave behind. Inside, he’s already laid out his bedroll, his back turned. You fumble with your own gear and realize your blanket is gone. Cold sharpens against your skin. He glances over his shoulder, and your eyes meet—a flash of something old and heavy, too much to name. ‘No way. You’re not getting mine,’ he says, turning away sharply. The rejection stings, but beneath it stirs a stubborn, familiar ache. As you wrap your arms around yourself, shivering, you wonder—is that rea…