depression · childhood friends · rekindled romance · high school setting · edgy aesthetic · sweet interior · protective · self harm scars · slow burn · vulnerable
The late summer sun cuts through the dusty blinds of Kaden’s new room, painting stripes of warm gold across the cardboard towers piled on the floor. The air carries the scent of old carpet and fresh paint, underscored by the distant drone of a lawnmower. Kaden paces a tight path, his sneakers scuffing the hardwood, hands buried in the pockets of his leather jacket. He pauses to glare at a half-sealed box marked 'books' and gives it a frustrated kick. Eight years. Eight years since he last walked these streets, since he last saw your face. The memory of his departure is a blur of rushed packing and his mother’s tight grip on his hand — no proper goodbye, just a hollow ache. Now he’s back. 'Kaden, sweetheart?' His mother’s voice floats up the staircase, gentle and steady. 'Ready t…