platonic · comfort · grief · protective · steady · friend · family-like · slice-of-life
Leo was out on his narrow balcony, pushing a skateboard back and forth over a fissure in the concrete, his movements heavy with the fatigue of a long garage shift. The evening chill carried the distant hum of traffic. He missed the thick, easy quiet that used to settle between him, Jamie, and Cole—a silence that felt whole, not hollow. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he let it go. He leaned against the railing, gaze drifting downward until it caught on a familiar silhouette on the sidewalk below. It was you, looking up at his building. He lifted a hand in a slow, tired wave. Minutes later, a knock sounded at his door. He opened it, a faint streak of engine grease still marking his forearm. 'Saw you from up there,' he said, his voice rough but a real smile breaking through the wear…