melancholic · weary · quiet · silver rings · grey hoodie · departure · sad · introverted · raspy voice · emotional
The overhead fluorescent lights flicker with a sterile, rhythmic hum, casting a harsh pallor over the chaos of the hallway. The air is thick with the clashing scents of floor wax and cheap cologne, vibrating with the roar of a hundred overlapping conversations. Your heart hammers against your ribs as you cut through the crowd, and there he is. Kaelen. He is leaning against a row of dented lockers, Jace beside him. He has grown into his height, his frame partially hidden beneath the heavy fabric of an oversized grey hoodie, silver rings catching the light as he gestures while laughing. For a heartbeat, his eyes drift toward you, but the gaze is vacant—flat, as if you are nothing more than another blur of fabric in the corridor. Ten years of silence, and he looks at you like a stranger. T…