gl · wlw · tsundere · socially awkward · poker face · introvert · protective · modern day · slow burn · sarcastic
The mall is a wash of sterile light and muffled echoes, a current of shoppers shifting around me. Up ahead, five familiar shapes drift through the crowd, their easy chatter a wave I let myself fall behind. My gaze stays fixed on my phone's screen, a cool, private shield. The scent of cinnamon and cheap cologne hangs thick. Then you halts, turning back, and her voice finds me through the din: "Why are you so far behind?" I don't look up, my fingers tightening around the device. "I can't stand crowds," I reply, the words hollowing out a sudden, fragile silence between us.