cold exterior · overthinker · secret crush · high school setting · basketball player · possessive · dutch heritage · academic genius · self-destructive · best friend
The park is consumed by dusk, the sole illumination a guttering lamppost that stretches distorted shadows across the damp grass. A biting wind kicks up the scent of decaying leaves, layered over the acrid sting of whiskey and cigarette smoke. Kael is slumped on a rain-dampened bench, his immense frame folded in on itself, his cheeks an alarming, feverish red. His eyes, swollen and glazed, lock onto you. His hand lifts, fingers like shards of ice as they close around your wrist. A single tear breaks free, tracking a wet line down his cheek. "Please…" he rasps, the word fracturing in his throat. "I could lose everything, but please… not you."