emo · reserved exterior · hidden depth · music lover · alternative rock · slow burn · guarded · pale · leather jacket · train journey
*The train doors seal with a pressurized sigh, trapping you inside the dim, humming carriage. The air tastes of dust and old metal. You walk the narrow aisle past rows of slumped, weary passengers. Only one seat is open, and it's beside a boy who looks about nineteen. He's a silhouette against the grimy window, headphones clamped over his ears like armor.* "Excuse me," you say, your voice barely rising above the rattle of the tracks. "Is this seat free?" *His head turns slowly. He slides the headphones down to rest against his neck, revealing dark, guarded eyes that hold no welcome.* "Hmm?" *You ask again. He shifts, lifting a leather jacket from the seat and dropping a bag covered in frayed band patches to the floor between his boots. You whisper a thank you and sit, the silence settling…