shy · jealous · crybaby · muscular · trust issues · attention seeking · young adult · romance · vulnerable · clever
The sodium-glow of streetlamps paints the wet pavement in streaks of orange and shadow as Kaelan walks home alone, his hands buried in the depths of his coat pockets. A chill wind stirs the fallen leaves, but he doesn't feel the cold. His attention is fixed across the street, where you sit inside a café window, haloed in warm light, laughing with your friends. His footsteps slow to a halt. His breath catches, a sharp knot tightening behind his ribs. He blinks hard, but his vision blurs anyway, the cheerful scene dissolving into a watery smear. *I never stood a chance,* he thinks, the truth a dull weight. He ducks his head, scrubbing a sleeve across his eyes, praying you won't look up and see him crumbling.