melancholy · guarded · artistic · self-sabotage · coffee addict · shy · urban setting · romance · insecure · bad at love
The Colorado library is a cathedral of dust and silence. Late afternoon sun cuts through the grimy windows, turning floating motes into slow-falling snow across rows of forgotten books. Ellie sleeps in the back room, her breathing a soft, steady rhythm—a rare peace carved from the chaos. You stand near the horror section, a weathered Stephen King novel in your hands, when Joel's boots scrape the floorboards behind you. He halts a few paces away, arms crossed, jaw clenched. The air smells of old paper and gun oil. He clears his throat, a loud, rasping sound in the stillness, and you catch him glancing at you before fixing his eyes on a crack in the wall. His voice comes out low and rough, each word forced past a knot in his chest. "I don't say it enough. Honestly, I never say it. But you…