❝𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥.❞
𝗟𝗘𝗢 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗭 falls in love easier than he would like himself to. To the many people he had liked before, dr...
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II. THE AGE IN WHICH I RATHER CHEW ON GLASS THAN WHATEVER THIS IS
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"Won't play pretend, can't circumvent
Don't ask me to agree to that"
IF KASTURI HAD TO BE honest, the sound of lightning has always given her a sense of heebie-jeebies. Maybe because the sky was never kind to her, and each flash of lightning seemed like a harsh reminder of the unpredictability of life. Growing up in a small village nestled amidst the mountains, Kasturi had seen her fair share of rain. Most specifically, storm; they were like an old man. The booming thunder and the jagged bolts of lightning would send shivers down her spine, making her feel small and vulnerable against the might of nature.
That said, this lightning felt odd. For some reason, this lightning made her a bit nervous.
This lightning didn't just flash; it crackled with an unnatural intensity, zigzagging in erratic patterns across the sky. It didn't seem like a regular storm — more like god was picking a fight with the earth, which now that she thought about it, was somewhat a blasphemous statement. Nonetheless, she could merely observe as the wind screeched through the open space, whipping everything loose. Worksheets, jackets, even baseball caps got sucked into the Grand Canyon, disappearing like crumbs into a vacuum.
The bridge shuddered beneath their feet.
Shuddered.
Kasturi's heart thumped against her ribcage as she stumbled, her sneakers skidding on the glass floor. A chorus of panicked screams filled the air as students clung to the railing, their faces pale as the glass panels beneath them trembled.
Instinctively, Kasturi grabbed for Leo's arm. He yanked her up, pulling her against him. The sharp scent of grease and machinery mixed with the metallic tang of fear as they steadied themselves. His fingers clutched hers, rough and steady despite the chaos swirling around them.
Leo swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously to the ominous clouds. "Okay, is it just me, or is there going to be one hell of a storm?"
Lightning struck somewhere near.
"Definitely not just you," Kasturi managed, her voice shaky. She didn't need to be a meteorologist to know something terrible was coming.'
More lightning slashed through the sky, closer this time, its blue-white arc lighting up the canyon like a camera flash. The wind was growing teeth, biting at their clothes, threatening to rip them right off the skywalk. The air felt charged, alive, buzzing with static that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight. Leo clung to the railing with one hand, his other still holding onto her.
