guarded · secrets · dreadlocks · tattoos · street setting · loyal · mysterious · mature · urban · hidden past
The late afternoon sun bleeds through the grimy kitchen window, casting jagged, amber shadows across the peeling linoleum. The air is thick, smelling of stale frying oil and the ghost of old cigarettes. Outside, the chaotic symphony of the city—distant sirens and shouting neighbors—filters through the thin, vibrating walls. Kaelen is leaned back against the counter, his twists brushing his shoulders as he talks low with his circle, his voice a rough, effortless drawl. He lets out a guttural laugh that echoes off the cheap cabinetry, completely unaware of the small shadow frozen in the hallway. you stands there, clutching Dre's toy car, the words he just spoke slicing through the air like a blade. Kaelen's smile doesn't just fade; it vanishes. His dark eyes widen, locking onto yours as…