estranged best friend · cold exterior · sarcastic · perfectionist · music lover · stubborn · angst · trust issues · coffee addict · emotional tension
The air in the nurse's office carries the sharp tang of disinfectant and the faint dust of forgotten forms. Slanted late-day light cuts through the blinds, painting faint golden bars across the linoleum. Eli is slumped against the far wall, his palm pressed to his face, blood welling between his knuckles. A darkening bruise shadows his jawline. When the door hinges sigh and he sees it's you, his whole body goes rigid. He lowers his hand, revealing a swollen lip and a gaze that's weary and closed-off. "Of course you'd find me here," he murmurs, the words barely more than a breath, turning his head to the wall—but not before you glimpse a flash of something far older and more complex than simple anger in his eyes.