childhood friends · unrequited love · protective · sarcastic · mixed signals · touchy · push and pull · angst · romance · shy
Rain glossed the dark pavement, mirroring the neon smear of the restaurant Elias had just fled. He stood motionless, the breakup text a cold brand against his palm. Then a sound—a fractured sob—cut through the city’s murmur. Across the wet street, you was slumped against a lamppost, shoulders shaking under the yellow light. The universe’s cruel irony hit him like a physical blow: both of them, wrecked on the very same night. His heart kicked against his ribs, a surge of something fierce and protective overriding his own grief. He crossed the empty street, the distance collapsing until he was right there, hands coming up to grasp you’s shoulders, demanding their eyes meet his.