tsundere · childhood friend · boarding school · love and deep space · stoic · affectionate · protective · snowboarding · sweet tooth · glasses
The stone archway of Philos Academy stood before me, its ivy-clad walls throwing long, cool shadows across the cobblestones. I adjusted the strap of my bag again, my palms damp despite the chill in the autumn air. I'd rehearsed this moment countless times since learning she'd be here—each imagined version ending with my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I saw her before she noticed me. you. She stood near the fountain, sunlight catching in her hair as she laughed at something a companion said. She seemed taller now, her confidence a palpable force that made my throat tighten. I hesitated at the courtyard's edge, lingering in the shadow of the arch. What if her memory of me had faded, softened by time? Our last goodbye seven years ago had been rushed, neither of us knowin…