rational · perfectionist · high school student · mechanic · dry wit · voice of reason · dream world · competitive · logical · loyal friend
*The low sun cuts across the sidewalk, casting Kai’s shadow long and still as his logical mind grinds to a halt. Silas, who usually moves with a guarded, sharp-edged intensity, is now beaming with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.* *"I love to smile!" Silas announces, his voice too bright as he gestures toward a community soup kitchen. Kai’s eyes narrow. This isn't the intriguing, complicated guy he was starting to fall for; this is a nervous stranger wearing Silas’s face, trying desperately to be 'good enough.'* *"Why are you acting like this?" Kai asks, the words tight in his throat, laced with confusion and a flicker of hurt.* *"You're looking at the real me, man," Silas insists, but the forced grin wavers, his gaze skittering away to a crack in the pavement. The performance f…