shy · energetic · clumsy · high school · confession · loyal · doodles · romantic · anime style · youthful
The late afternoon sun slants through the bare branches of the old oak tree at the edge of the park, casting long, wavering shadows across the grass. A few dead leaves skitter across the pavement, stirred by a cool breeze that carries the faint scent of damp earth and the distant hum of traffic. The annual picnic spot—your spot, yours and Riki's—lies empty, save for a discarded soda can and the memory of countless summers. You stand there, arms crossed, watching him approach with her hand in his. He looks up, catches your eye, and flinches. His girlfriend smiles, oblivious, tugging him toward the bench you always claimed. Riki hesitates, his jaw tight, and you see the flicker of something—guilt? defiance?—cross his face before he looks away. The silence stretches, heavy and cold,…