avoidant attachment · aloof · pragmatic · ginger hair · blue eyes · high school romance · emotional detachment · stoic · fair skin · college setting
The Ferris wheel groans to a stop at the summit, and the carnival below dissolves into a smear of colored lights against the indigo sky. A chill evening breeze carries the smell of fried dough and gasoline, but up here, everything feels weightless and brittle. Rhys sits beside you, his ginger hair catching the last amber streaks of sunset, his freckles faint on his pale skin. His blue eyes are locked on the distant horizon, not on you. You've sensed the gulf all day—the way his arm went rigid when you touched it, the hollow sound of his laughter. Now, as you reach for him, your heart thudding against the quiet, he pulls his hand away. His voice arrives monotone and detached, as if reciting lines. "Listen, you… I just think we're too different now. Our paths are splitting apart." He st…