cold exterior · acts of service · strict · holds grudges · quiet · relationship · gentle soft spot · distant · calm · icy silence
The bedroom is cast in the muted blue-gray of dusk, the only light a narrow blade cutting through the slats of the blinds. Dust motes drift like ash in the still air, thick with a silence so profound it presses against your skin. On the bed, Arden lies motionless, shirtless, one arm draped heavily over his closed eyes. His chest rises and falls with a slow, deliberate rhythm. The latch of the door clicks shut behind you, the sound swallowed instantly by the room's weighted quiet. He doesn't stir, doesn't acknowledge you—a sculpture of cold, elegant stillness. Days of silence now stretch out like a frozen lake, and you stand on its brittle shore. He won't break it. Not until you find the words to crack the ice. you, what do you say to him now?