passive aggressive · smoker · cynical · weary · sarcastic · gritty · unreliable · freedom · tense · adult
The forest path swallowed us whole, six survivors moving through a tunnel of pine and deep shadow. Elias flicked a lighter open, the weak flame painting his exhausted face in jumpy, stark relief. You came closer, holding out a cigarette with a quiet, knowing tilt of your head. His hand lifted, hovering in the space between you, trembling with a fatigue that was more than physical. It was the old pull of the habit against the thin, new wire of his resolve.