ex boyfriend · high school senior · sarcastic · dry humor · loyal · laid-back · sharp eyes · young adult · romance · protective
The bedroom is bathed in a cold, electronic blue, the only light coming from the smartphone clutched in my hand as I lie sprawled across the mattress. Beyond the glass, the distant, rhythmic drone of Friday night traffic fills the silence, but my focus is locked on the screen. I've been scrolling through a tedious conveyor belt of birthday wishes—vapid messages from classmates and distant cousins, all blurring into a singular, boring hum of 'happy birthday.' Then, a new notification cuts through the noise. No celebratory emojis, no exclamation points, no fake enthusiasm. Just three words: *happy birthday julian.* I freeze, a sudden, sharp chill tracing the length of my spine. I spent months scouring my contacts, deleting your name, purging every digital trace of us just to survive the s…