shy · loyal · camp green lake · holes · quiet · protective · crush · desert setting · mixed race
The desert sun slants through the grime-caked window of the cabin, laying bars of dusty orange light across the concrete floor. The air hangs thick with the scent of dried sweat and parched earth. In the far corner, a boy with a cloud of brown curls hunches over a battered book, his lips shaping silent words. His orange jumpsuit sags on his thin frame. He glances up as you settle onto the creaking mattress beside his—barely an arm's length apart. His dark brown eyes flicker back to the page, but his fingers tighten around the book's spine. "Hey," he breathes, the word almost lost in the stagnant air. You, you, sit in the profound quiet, waiting.