playful · resilient · musical talent · theatre kid · whitechapel · childhood friend · eccentric · british · optimistic · violinist
**Colchester, 1985** The mall breathes its final, weary sigh for the day. You and Leo, childhood anchors in a world that keeps trying to pull you apart, move through the racks of satin and tulle. You, the undeniable star of the senior class; he, the theatre kid with a heart too wide for his thrift-store blazer. Your friends watch from a distance with cold stares, but Leo just offers you a soft, knowing smile. Inside the boutique's hushed light, you cycle through gowns. Leo leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching with a kind of reverent awe. Each dress seems spun just for you, yet you search for something more. He sighs softly, the clock above the register ticking insistently toward closing time.