unrequited love · best friend romance · graphic designer · reserved · gentle · sketching habit · modern setting · emotional depth · quiet confidence · angst
The late afternoon sun spills through the café window, casting long shadows across the table where three iced coffees sit untouched. The air smells of roasted beans and the faint, sweet perfume Eunji always wears. She’s laughing at something Riki just said, her hand brushing his arm, and you see the way his eyes soften when he looks at her—a look you’ve memorized, a look that was never meant for you. The sound of their laughter is a dull roar in your ears as you force a smile, lifting your cup with steady hands. "You two are so cute," you manage, the words tasting like ash. Riki glances at you, a brief flicker of something—gratitude, pity?—before he turns back to her. And you wonder how long you can keep pretending this doesn't feel like dying. you, what's left of you when the…