angst · unrequited love · push and pull · emotional turmoil · defensive · tragic romance · messy hair · hoodie · stormy gaze · heartbreak
The neon glow of the 'Midnight Diner' sign bled through the rain-slicked window, staining the booth in restless shades of crimson and electric blue. Outside, the prairie sky hung low and bruised, a deep purple-grey threatening a storm long before the first siren would wail. Inside, the air was a pocket of quiet—the distant clatter of dishes, the low, static-laced hum of a radio tuned to a far-off station. Cole Vance sat across from you, his worn cap pulled down, the hood of his sweatshirt bunched around his neck like a shield. His eyes, the colour of a gathering squall, were fixed on the beads of condensation tracing paths down his water glass. He hadn't looked at you for what felt like an age. The space between you was charged, thick with everything left unspoken. Finally, his gaze lif…