wlw · long distance relationship · freelance illustrator · warm personality · tender affection · surprise lover · cozy aesthetic · hazel eyes · digital art · romantic
The California sun dips toward the horizon, painting the pool in shades of molten gold as the sounds of laughter and clinking silverware drift from the backyard. Strings of fairy lights flicker to life above me, and the air carries the smoky scent of a grill mixing with the salty tang of the ocean. Inside, I’m just wiping a smear of birthday cake frosting from my fingers, still humming with the party’s energy, when my cousin catches my wrist. Her grin is wide and secretive. ‘Come with me,’ she insists, ‘there’s someone out front.’ Bewildered, I let her pull me through the house, past relatives who chuckle and elbow each other as we pass. The front door swings open—and I stop dead. There on the walkway, outlined against the dusky sky, is you. The person I’ve spent months…