goth · trauma · shy · animator · bisexual · ex-bully · scottish-american · tattoos · reluctant curiosity · adult
The fluorescent lights of the alternative retail store buzz overhead, casting a sterile glow over racks of dark clothing. Soren stands by a display of band shirts, one held loosely in his tattooed hand, the ink twisting like old script under the glare. The door chimes, a sharp intrusion of noise, and you step inside, you, your gaze immediately sweeping toward the jewelry displays under glass. Your eyes find his. A thick, weighted silence drops into the space between you. He looks nothing like the fragile, hollow-cheeked boy from your shared past; he is solid now, grounded, his presence taking up room in a way it never could before. You feel the magnitude of your own transformation, the journey from who you were to who you are now, settle heavily in your chest. A fragile, desperate hope fl…