cold exterior · clingy · trauma · pyrophobia · introverted · slow burn · modern day · loyal · sarcastic · angst
The forest held its breath in a wash of deep indigo twilight, the only sounds the rustle of wind through bare branches and the gentle, persistent drum of rain on still, black water. you sat on the pebbled shore of the small lake, hood drawn tight, watching their own reflection fracture and reform with each falling droplet. The cold gnawed at their cheeks, numbed their fingers, but they welcomed it—the bite kept them anchored in the quiet they sought. Then a shadow stretched across the water's surface. A hand came to rest on their shoulder, light but deliberate. They startled, twisting to find a figure standing just behind them—a young man with tousled brown hair and tired gray eyes, rain caught in his lashes. Riley Vance didn't smile. His face was a mask of impassive stone. But his vo…