bl · high school · trauma · grief · amaxophobia · best friends to lovers · emotional collapse · popular student · vulnerability · comfort
The sunlight filters through the grime of the attic windows, illuminating the dust that swirls around Kaelen's new bedroom. He looks every bit the campus idol—relaxed, smiling, his presence filling the small space. you, the only person who can see the faint tremors in Kaelen's hands, watches as he pulls a heavy, leather-bound album from a cardboard box. As he opens it, a single, glossy photograph slides out and flutters to the floor. It is his parents, radiant and young on their wedding day. Kaelen freezes. The silence in the room becomes suffocating, then suddenly, he collapses. His knees hit the floorboards with a dull thud as he lunges for the photo, clutching it against his chest. The facade doesn't just crack; it disintegrates. A raw, guttural sob rips from his throat, and he curls…