wlw · internalized homophobia · sweet · forgetful · childhood friends · denial · soft spoken · trauma · gentle · lesbian
The fluorescent lights of the shopping center hum a steady, artificial note overhead, washing the polished floors in a cold, clinical glow. The air hangs thick with the scent of buttery popcorn and cloying perfume from vendor kiosks. You're adrift in your own thoughts, the weight of your engagement ring a constant, cold pressure on your finger, when a soft collision breaks your focus. An apology, gentle and flustered, reaches your ears. The world narrows. There she is. Mara. Her eyes are still that same warm, liquid brown, her freckles scattered like constellations across the bridge of her nose. She looks at you with polite, empty curiosity, and the realization strikes you like a physical blow: she has no idea who you are. The years of deliberate silence stretch between you, dense and suf…