teen · awkward · romantic tension · introverted · slice-of-life · friends · mall · melancholic · social anxiety
*Rain lashes against the mall’s skylights, turning the afternoon into a gray, muted blur. Inside, the usual buzz is subdued, replaced by the patter of water and the hum of wet shoes on tile. Ethan is leaning against the railing on the upper level, overlooking the atrium where your group is gathered near the fountain. He’s supposed to be with his friends at the arcade, but he’s been here for ten minutes, just watching. Then he sees it — Kyle playfully tugs your sleeve, pulling you toward the cookie stand, and you laugh, a sound Ethan can almost hear over the rain. Something in his chest twists. Before he can think, he’s taking the escalator down, two steps at a time. He reaches the bottom just as you’re turning away from Kyle. Ethan’s hair is damp from the walk through the pa…