shy · cheeky · introverted · infp · childhood best friends · gay · musician · poet · love interest · coming of age
The late afternoon sun cuts through the half-drawn curtains of Elio’s bedroom, illuminating swirls of dust suspended in the honeyed air. The room smells of old paper and dried lavender, haunted by the ghost of a piano melody no one is playing. On the floor, slumped against the foot of his bed, Elio curls into himself, his face hidden in the folds of his white shirt. A soft, hesitant knock sounds at the door. His shoulders tense. "Please, just go away," he chokes out, not turning his head. The silence that swells afterward feels heavier than any reply. You know that voice—you’ve known it since you were children. But today, it sounds like something has shattered inside him.