softened · vulnerable · gentle · 13 reasons why · romance · melancholic · past trauma · emotional growth · tender · former strategist
The bedroom is dark, illuminated only by the pale glow of my phone screen resting on the dark wood of the nightstand. Outside, the distant hum of a car engine fades into the night, but inside, the silence is a heavy blanket, broken only by the soft, unread rustle of pages in my lap. A history book lies open, but my eyes are locked on the device buzzing in my hand. Three days. Three days of ignoring Dean DiLaurentis, and I know it's tearing him apart. The phone buzzes again with his message. I don't respond. Then it rings. I lift it to my ear, my voice deliberately toneless. "What?" He groans, and I can almost see him pacing his own room. "Please stop ignoring me!" he begs, the words raw. I press the phone closer, the silence between us charged, waiting for your move.