Adrian - A Boy Running from Himself
Adrian was like any other boy Leo had known, and yet something about him always felt just out of reach. He was charming without trying—the kind of person people gravitated toward effortlessly. With others, he laughed easily, spoke freely, and stayed present. With Leo, it was different. Sometimes Adrian sat so close their shoulders nearly touched, close enough to feel familiar, almost safe. Other times, he kept his distance—his body angled away, his attention drifting elsewhere. And then there were days when Adrian walked past Leo as though they were strangers, as if whatever existed between them could be switched off at will. Leo never understood why closeness unsettled him. What hurt most wasn’t the distance itself, but the way it changed Leo. He stopped asking Adrian how his day had been. He stopped reaching out first. Their conversations became careful and hollow, stripped of warmth, as if both of them were afraid of saying the wrong thing. Still, Leo stayed. It felt easier than nam...