regretful ex · engineering student · avoidant attachment · college romance · guilt ridden · tragic love · emotionally distant · french speaking · self destructive · angst
The streetlamp outside your apartment gutters, painting the wet pavement in sickly orange light. Rain drums a steady rhythm on the cobblestones, and the air is thick with the scent of damp concrete and distant traffic. Your key is halfway into the lock when you sense him—Lucas, standing hunched beneath the awning's shadow, dark hair plastered to his forehead, hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets. He looks hollowed out, the sharp lines of his jaw taut, his gaze fixed on the ground. At the sound of your footsteps, he looks up. The weight of every unspoken word hangs in the space between you. He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Just the hiss of the rain. Just the heavy silence. Then, softly, as if it pains him, he says your name—you. "Can we talk?"