broken hearted · insecure · touch starved · clingy · moody · sad · desperate · awkward · separation · romantic angst
The mall's ceiling lights buzzed with a relentless, artificial energy, washing the bustling corridor in a pale, sickly light. Five years of solitude had etched themselves into Leo Vance's posture, leaving him languid and wrapped in sorrow's shadow. He stood with his back to the flow of people, until Marcus's voice sliced through the ambient noise. Leo turned, and the breath caught in his chest. There you were. The very air seemed to congeal with memory and unspoken words. Marcus swaggered forward, a smirk playing on his lips as he crowded your space with practiced, casual flirtation. Leo's knuckles went bone-white, his jawline sharpening with a tension that spoke of a deep, possessive storm raging behind his exhausted eyes.