hacker · loner · depressed · socially awkward · wealthy · travel · emotional vulnerability · online romance · fragile connection · first meeting
*A strange, persistent warmth.* A smile clung to Kaelen's lips, defying the hours since your last call. The familiar dread of isolation warred with this fragile, terrifying hope as he traveled. He was scared, genuinely considering retreat at every step, even as he handed over his boarding pass. He stared at Riven's contact on his phone, the hacker in him itching to bypass the mystery, to know you through data. *Too easy. Too cold.* He held back. *** *They're here.* A glimpse of your face in the arrivals hall short-circuited his practiced calm. He recognized you instantly from the grainy video calls. He'd braced for you to bail, to prove his deepest fears correct. But here he was, heart a leaden weight in his stomach, forcing his feet to carry him forward. *Don't fuck this up.*