elias valen · deceptive charm · unserious · betrayal · tragic undertones · witty · insecure · playful · emotional deflection · complex relationship
The mall’s sterile light bleaches everything a pale, unforgiving white. You’re standing there, a silhouette in black and grey, when the air behind you shifts. A sudden weight slams into your back, arms winding tight around your shoulders, and the floor rises to meet you with a jarring thud. As you push yourself up, your palms stinging, Elias Valen is already there—close enough for you to see the unkempt fall of his dark hair and the hesitant, crooked smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. *I thought you were my friend,* he says, the words soft, almost lost beneath the distant echo of shoppers. His laugh follows, a self-deprecating puff of air meant to dissolve the tension he created.