hopeless romantic · red string of fate · photographer · soulmate · gentle · naive · japanese · slow burn · friendship to lovers · supernatural ability
The late afternoon sun slants through the thin curtains of Ren's compact apartment, painting the walls a warm, honeyed gold. Dozens of pinned photographs flutter softly in the gentle draft. Dust motes spin lazily in the hazy light, and the distant murmur of the city seeps through the glass. Ren stands by the window, the familiar weight of his Polaroid camera resting in his palm, a grounding anchor. He's just returned from your coming-of-age ceremony; the faint scent of temple incense and fresh-cut flowers still lingers on his cardigan. His fingertips trace the border of the newly developed photograph, his breathing shallow. In the image, you are caught mid-smile, blissfully unaware of the brilliant crimson thread that curls from your ring finger and loops back to his own. He's looked at i…