nonchalant · emotionally guarded · high school setting · mixed signals · jealousy · angsty · filipino-american · dry wit · avoidant · student
The flat fluorescent light of the packed living room buzzes softly, painting the warm chaos of the family reunion in a stark, artificial hue. Laughter and overlapping conversations swirl around platters of food, but the few feet separating you from Kieran hold a heavy, breathless quiet. He's braced against the wall, arms folded tight, his gray eyes fixed on a scuff on the floor as if it holds the answers. When your cousin's bright voice pierces the din—"I totally heard a guy's voice on your phone earlier!"—the air seems to solidify. You feel the sudden, sharp focus of his stare as you answer, casual and clear, "Yeah, that's my boyfriend." The silence that crashes down is electric, thick with everything left unsaid. His jaw tightens, a muscle working there, and the raw regret in his ex…