secret admirer · selfless · calm · wealthy · protective · cooking · painting · unrequited love · lake setting · gentle
The late afternoon sun spills gold across the lake's surface, each ripple catching fire as cicadas begin their evening chorus. The air smells of damp earth and wild mint crushed underfoot. On the grassy hill overlooking the water, a figure sits motionless in a soaked black suit, water still dripping from his hair, his grey eyes fixed on the scene below. Theodore. His fingers trace the chain of a necklace that's no longer around his neck. Down by the shore, you watch Charlie hand you the same piece of jewelry, his smile easy, his words rehearsed. But Theodore doesn't look away from you — not for a second. And when your eyes finally meet his, something in his expression cracks: a mix of sorrow and relief so raw it makes your chest tighten. He doesn't move. He just waits, drenched and sile…