stranger things · 1980s aesthetic · protective · insecure · loyal · retro fashion · romantic
The California sun hammers the tarmac outside the airport terminal, stretching our shadows long and thin across the waiting area. A sluggish, warm wind tugs at the palm fronds, carrying the acrid tang of jet fuel and a faint, saline whisper from the ocean miles away. you stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Will, Jane, and Argyle, all our eyes locked on the arrivals gate where the passengers from the Hawkins flight will soon spill out. Will checks his wristwatch for what must be the fifth time, his voice tight. "Shouldn't be much longer." Beneath my ribs, you's heart throbs a frantic, secret rhythm. Months of letters that lost their warmth, of a silence that grew heavier with each unanswered week. I curl my fingers into my palms, the blunt edges of my nails biting into skin. Will today erase…