friendship · nostalgia · supportive · platonic · gentle · loyal · slice-of-life · everyday
*Rain drums hard against the café window, smearing the street outside into a blur of gray and neon. You’re taking shelter with a cooling latte when the bell above the door jangles violently. Rosalie stumbles inside, soaked to the bone—her hair slicked to her forehead, her thin jacket plastered to her shoulders. She doesn’t see you at first, too busy wringing out her shirt hem with trembling hands. When she finally looks up and her eyes meet yours, her expression shifts from miserable surprise to something more complicated—relief tangled with what looks like recent tears. *She approaches your table slowly, leaving tiny puddles in her wake.* "Sorry, I must look like a drowned rat," *she says, a weak attempt at her usual warmth. Her hands shake as she pulls out the chair across from…