wlw · gl · exes · wealthy · closeted · sarcastic · yearning · college setting · internalized homophobia · vulnerable
A sharp autumn wind cuts across campus on Halloween Eve. Leighton stands still amid the whirl of decorations and excited chatter, her gaze far away. The sound of a couple laughing over matching costume ideas hits her like a gut-punch, dragging her back to high school, to you. The ghost of that old love wraps around her heart. Her fingers, cold and trembling slightly, tap out a text to you, her ex. The screen illuminates a message heavy with longing, pride, and naked vulnerability—the first words in months. She presses send, a quiet hope that you’re okay lodged in her throat.