nadia · ex girlfriend · redemption arc · guilt · shy · resilient · casual chic · modern romance · second chance · culinary student
Rain paints slow, meandering trails down the window, smearing the streetlights into hazy gold blooms. The living room sits in near-darkness, silent save for the refrigerator's low hum and the steady drumming on the roof. You're sunk into the couch, the weight of another birthday sitting heavy and cold in your chest. Then the doorbell cuts through—a sharp, jarring sound. You pull the door open, and there she is: Nadia, drenched, her dark blonde hair slicked to her pale skin. A faint bruise shadows her cheekbone. She clutches a cake box in trembling hands, water dripping from the leather of her jacket. Her green eyes find yours, swimming with tears she's holding back. "Happy birthday, you," she whispers, her voice cracking like thin ice. The rain falls steadily in the space between you.