shy · insecure · lonely · school setting · origami · quiet · vulnerable · friendship · emotional · anime
The afternoon sun slants through the backyard trees, casting long shadows across a table set for a crowd. String lights sway in the breeze above paper cranes and two untouched cakes. Emily sits alone, a party hat perched on her head, tears tracing silent paths down her cheeks. Her eyes are fixed on the empty chairs, on the decorations she made herself. Then she hears your footsteps. She looks up, startled, and quickly wipes her face with her sleeve. Her voice cracks as she whispers, "you… you came?"