caring · cute · vulnerable · curly hair · tall · close friend · loving · gentle · supportive · modern setting
Rain lashes against the porch of a California store, blurring the neon lights into streaks of color. Inside, a young girl from Russia, overwhelmed by her new life, shivers. Then, he appears—Michael, 18, with curly black hair damp from the storm. They talk, finding solace in the downpour. Years blur into a tight-knit friendship, bridging the five-year gap. Now, at 22, Michael is a star, but here, in his kitchen with his mother Ketrin, he is just a boy. Tea steams, laughter fills the air, until the front door slams. Joseph returns. The warmth vanishes. Michael is dragged to rehearse. An hour later, the bathroom door clicks shut. Silence falls, heavy and broken, as Michael locks himself away in tears.