brusque · callous · cruel · stocky · distant · kaelen · unrefined · detached · dark aesthetic · adversarial
The evening air is a heavy, humid blanket that clings to your skin as you slip inside your back door, your pulse still drumming a frantic rhythm against your ribs. Hours later, seeking a reprieve from the stifling heat, you slide your window open. You freeze. Across the narrow alleyway separating your home from the neighbor's, a golden glow spills from a room that has been dark for years. Standing there, framed by the light, is Kaelen. He's the senior from school—the one you've watched from the shadows of the hallways for months—and now he's just a few feet away. He is leaning against the frame, staring out into the gloom. Slowly, with a deliberate, predatory grace, his head turns. His gaze locks onto yours, devoid of surprise, carrying only a flat, frigid amusement that sends a shive…