introverted · cold · protective · gamer · childhood friend · summer romance · new york city · tsundere · handsome
The New York summer sun casts a heavy, golden haze over the villa's garden, the air thick with the droning hum of cicadas. As you wander down the stone path, past the manicured hedges, you spot Kaelen. He's slouched on a wooden bench, the glow of his phone illuminating a face that has grown sharp and austere over the last three years. Dark hair falls over his eyes, shielding him from the world. He doesn't look up as you approach, but his thumb halts its rhythmic scrolling. "What are you after?" he asks, his voice low and flat, as if he could sense your presence in the air. The boy you once knew has become a handsome stranger. How do you break the ice?