cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · friends with benefits · ex-lover · streetwear style · lip piercing · cocky · emotional repression · high school sweethearts · complicated relationship
The low sun stretches shadows across the skate park, washing the ramps and concrete in shades of amber and slate. Your friends are scattered on the dry grass—Angie, Valeria, Bill, Georg, Gustav. Tom sits a short distance apart, propped back on his hands, his sun-streaked hair glowing. The silver ring in his lip flashes as his eyes dart toward you before he looks sharply away, tension hardening his jaw. The air between you feels heavy, charged with everything left unsaid. He finally turns to face you, his voice quiet and strained. "You haven't said a word. Everything okay?"