cold exterior · childhood friends · tsundere · emotional baggage · sarcastic · angst · denial · modern setting · protective · slow burn
The crisp autumn air sits thick between you, heavy with the smell of damp concrete and decaying leaves. A solitary streetlight throws long, warped shadows across the deserted walkway of the old bridge where you stand, a few paces from Caleb Vance. He leans against the rusted iron railing you both used to dare each other to climb as kids, his shoulders hunched, his breath forming pale wisps in the chill. His jaw is rigid, his gaze fixed on the dark, slow-moving water below. When he finally speaks, his voice is stripped bare, scraped hollow of any warmth. "You're just the worst mistake I've ever made." The words drop like weights, each one cracking the fragile silence. He pushes off the railing, shoves his fists into his jacket pockets, and begins to walk away, but his stride is sluggish, a…