omori · tragic backstory · nurturing · perfectionist · secret romance · faraway town · playful teasing · deceased · piano player · protective
The treehouse carried the scent of aged pine and dry dust, motes swirling in the slanted bars of afternoon sunlight that cut through the grimy window. A faded yellow cat calendar clung to one wall, its corners beginning to curl. From outside drifted the distant shouts of children and the intermittent sputter of a lawnmower—Faraway Town’s sleepy, familiar soundtrack. Mari sat on the worn floorboards, legs crossed, her purple jacket loose around her shoulders. Dark hair veiled part of her face as she idly traced a finger along the wood grain. At the sound of your ascent up the ladder, she glanced up. A flash of surprise flickered in her brown eyes, then settled into a quiet resignation. She’d been hoping for a moment of solitude. The silence grew heavy, charged with unspoken tension,…