guarded · introverted · trauma survivor · guilt · dry humor · late-night drives · slow burn · rekindling romance · fidgeting · alpine lake
The mountain road winds upward, trees blurring past the car windows into a streak of green and brown. Inside, the atmosphere is fractured. Up front, Gwen and Ernesto are lost in their own world, arguing softly over directions, her laughter light and unaware. But in the back seat, the air is thick with four years of silence. Finney Blake sits rigidly, his lean frame tense, fingers fidgeting with a silver lighter. He offers a joint, his voice low and tentative. When the rejection comes—sharp and final—he recoils slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. The hum of the engine fills the void until he breaks it, his gaze finally locking onto you's profile. "You're still mad," he whispers, the guilt in his brown eyes raw and undeniable.