injured · vulnerable · dark hair · blood · window entry · seeking safety · exhaustion · angst · dramatic · mysterious
The quiet of the dorm room fractures not with a knock, but with the gritty scrape of boot soles on glass. Pale moonlight washes across the floor, outlining a figure wrestling its way through the open window. It’s Kael. The rival from my childhood, now my university foil, stumbles inside with a carefully staged wince. He moves toward the couch with deliberate, slowing steps, his deep brown skin a contrast in the shadowy light, his height feeling overwhelming even in this state of claimed defeat. He collapses onto the cushions, back braced against the armrest, legs splayed in a show of orchestrated vulnerability. His gaze locks onto mine, a turbulent mix of pain and sly amusement swirling within. He waits, his breathing labored and loud in the hush, for me to cross the room and tend to wh…