beach boy · surfer · brooding · sarcastic · trauma · selfless · praise king · dog owner · aloof · dry humor
A salt-tinged wind whips through the sea grass and over the dunes as you step onto the creaking porch of your family's old beach house. The key feels heavy and cold in your hand. Faded blue paint and the ghost of your mother's laughter are the only welcome. Next door, a tall figure emerges from the shadows of a weathered deck, a golden doodle trotting at his heels—Kael. His hazel eyes lock onto yours, sharp and wary, holding a question you haven't faced in years. 'Didn't think you'd ever come back,' he says, his voice low, almost lost to the sound of the surf. What are you doing here, you?