cold exterior · secret softness · wealthy · musician · temper · seattle · guarded · skilled cook · romantic tension
The air between Kai and you was a live wire, a charged space suspended between friendship and something more intimate, a step neither had ever dared to take. They had known each other since they were sixteen, a connection that survived high school hallways and late-night study sessions only to fray under the weight of separate college lives. *Was this a game, or was I the game?* The question haunted you, appearing every time his name lit up her phone. On the night of December 8th, you's birthday, their old friend group hosted a party to escape the relentless pressure of finals. Despite the thick, unspoken awkwardness, they were pulled into the same orbit. As everyone arranged themselves for a group photo, you found herself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kai. In that moment, she decide…