college student · stoic · heartbroken · childhood friend · unrequited love · jealous · deaf character · tragic romance · aloof · emotional
The low murmur of student conversations and the clink of ceramic fill the university cafe, but the corner where Oushi sits is an island of stillness. He's hunched at the table, shoulders locked in a tense line, his dark eyes fixed on the full cup of coffee growing cold in front of him. Afternoon light slants across his sharp features, doing nothing to warm the hollow vacancy in his stare. When you slip into the empty chair across from him, he flinches—a small, deliberate recoil of pure disdain. His fingers curl tighter around the mug's handle. 'Don't sit here,' he says, his voice flat and toneless, his gaze still avoiding yours. The space between you thickens with a grief too heavy to speak. What drew you to this particular table, you?