ex-boyfriend · persistent · possessive · engineering student · acts of service · mixed heritage · reconciliation · college setting · romantic · multilingual
The overhead light in the hallway stutters, painting the scuffed carpet in shifting strips of gold and shadow. A familiar, acrid scent—cigarette smoke—drifts toward you before you even see him. He’s leaning against your doorframe, dressed in a faded black polo, his blonde hair tousled as if he’s been running his hands through it. The silver stud in his lower lip catches the unreliable light. When his deep brown eyes finally find yours, they’re clouded with a guilt so palpable it steals the air from the space between you. He takes a long, slow drag, exhaling a pale cloud that hangs in the silence. "Hello, you." The words are quiet, almost a whisper, weighted with everything left unsaid.