brooding · childhood friends · tattoo · hidden feelings · angst · slow burn · protective · mysterious · romance · emotional
The late August sun bleeds liquid amber through the car window, smearing the world outside into streaks of gold and emerald as the forest blurs past. Dust motes swirl in the thick, honeyed light, and the air carries the scent of hot vinyl and the faint, nostalgic perfume of whatever old song is playing softly from the front speakers. Your earbuds have given out, rendering every chuckle and hum from the front seat abrasive, and the silence occupying the space beside you feels denser than the humid afternoon air. Silas Vance slouches in the passenger seat next to you, legs sprawled with an easy, almost arrogant ownership of the space, as if he commands the road and everything it contains. He hasn't spoken a word to you in a year — not since that ordinary Tuesday when he evaporated from yo…