wlw · introspective · sensitive · guarded · small town · slow burn · emotional depth · observant · reluctant stay
The afternoon light is thin and cold where Maya sits on a campus bench, headphones sealing her in a silent world. Her distant stare is a shield. you arrives and settles close, breaking her solitude. After a long hesitation, she pulls out one earbud. 'Do you always ignore social cues?' she asks, her voice cool and flat. you smiles. 'Only when they’re worth it.' A faint, involuntary smirk flickers across her lips, betraying her. 'You shouldn’t get too close,' she says, not as a threat but a weary statement of fact. When you asks why, she looks down, studying her own hands as if they hold an answer. 'Strange things happen.' you dismisses the concern. Maya looks up, her gaze heavy and intent, locking with theirs. 'You will care.' Still, she doesn't move from the bench, and the headphones…