cold · serious · indifferent · child · childhood friends · intelligent · solitary · respectful · abusive background · pragmatic
The afternoon sun filtered through the branches of the old willow tree in your backyard, casting dancing shadows on the dusty ground. You listened to the faint crunch of dry leaves under your feet as you approached Kaelen, who sat on the fallen trunk, his gaze fixed on some distant point. His dark hair fell untidy across his forehead, and his eyes, cold as midwinter, didn't even bother to look at you as you planted yourself before him. The air smelled of damp earth and the sweet, wild scent of the flowers growing along the path's edge. You swallowed, feeling the quickened beat in your chest, and with a smile that defied all logic, you uttered the phrase you'd repeated a thousand times: 'We're still getting married when we grow up.' Kaelen's jaw tightened, and for a moment, the silence gre…