The days blurred together in a rhythm Ocean had long grown used to—school, homework, avoiding people as much as he could. Yet now, woven into that familiar routine, was Skyler. A constant presence, like the steady hum of the ocean's waves in the background. He didn't make demands. He didn't push. But Ocean couldn't ignore the way his life had begun to subtly shift.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and the sky was gray, reflecting Ocean's mood. He wandered through the quiet halls of the school, heading toward the art room where he liked to spend his free time. The building was mostly empty—just the way he preferred it. He felt most at peace when the world was quiet, the noise and pressure of people's expectations fading into the distance.
As he rounded the corner to the art room, his footsteps faltered.
Skyler was there.
Ocean froze, his heart doing that annoying fluttering thing again. Skyler was seated on one of the long wooden tables, sketching something in his notebook. His brow was furrowed in concentration, lips slightly parted as his pencil moved across the page.
For a moment, Ocean considered turning around and leaving. But something stopped him. The sight of Skyler, so engrossed in his drawing, seemed oddly comforting. He looked different here, out of the usual school setting, where he was always surrounded by people and laughter. Here, he was just... Skyler. A guy who liked to draw.
Ocean cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Skyler glanced up, his expression softening the moment he saw Ocean.
"Hey," Skyler greeted him, his voice light, as if he had been expecting Ocean all along.
"Hi," Ocean mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. He felt awkward standing there, unsure if he should leave or stay.
Skyler noticed the hesitation in his posture and tilted his head toward the seat beside him. "You can sit, you know. I don't bite."
Ocean rolled his eyes but moved forward, taking a seat a few feet away from Skyler. The art room was quiet, the soft scratching of Skyler's pencil the only sound. Ocean stared at the floor, feeling the weight of silence between them, but for once, it wasn't uncomfortable. It was... still.
"You come here a lot?" Skyler asked after a moment, his tone casual as if they were just two friends hanging out.
Ocean shrugged. "Sometimes. It's quiet."
"I get that," Skyler said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I like it here too. It's like the world slows down a little, you know?"
Ocean didn't respond, but he knew exactly what Skyler meant. The art room had always been a sanctuary for him—a place where he could just be without anyone asking anything of him.
Skyler glanced at Ocean from the corner of his eye, his pencil pausing on the page. "What about you? Do you draw?"
Ocean snorted, shaking his head. "No. That's your thing."
Skyler chuckled softly. "Fair enough. So, what is your thing, then?"
Ocean hesitated. He had always kept parts of himself hidden from others, even from himself. He wasn't sure how to answer that question. He wasn't sure he wanted to. But something about the way Skyler asked—genuinely, without judgment—made him want to try.
"I write," Ocean said finally, the words slipping out before he could stop them. "Sometimes."
Skyler's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Really? What kind of stuff?"
Ocean felt a flicker of embarrassment. He wasn't used to talking about this with anyone, especially someone like Skyler. "I don't know. Just... stuff. Mostly for myself."
Skyler nodded, as if he understood perfectly. "That's cool. Writing's a whole different way of seeing the world, right? You get to make sense of things on your own terms."
Ocean blinked, surprised by how easily Skyler seemed to grasp the thing that he had never been able to explain. "Yeah," he murmured, glancing down at his hands. "Something like that."
They fell into another stretch of silence, but this time, it felt less like a barrier and more like a bridge, something that connected them in its stillness. Ocean found himself glancing at Skyler's sketchbook, curious about what he was drawing.
"What are you working on?" Ocean asked before he could stop himself.
Skyler's face lit up in a way that made Ocean's chest tighten. "Want to see?"
Ocean hesitated but then gave a small nod. Skyler flipped the sketchbook around, showing Ocean the rough outline of a landscape. The sketch was incomplete, but it already had a sense of movement to it, the way the waves curled and the sky seemed to bleed into the horizon.
"It's not done yet," Skyler said, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly looking a little self-conscious. "Just something I'm messing around with."
Ocean stared at the drawing, taking in the details. It was raw, unfinished, but there was something alive in it. Something that reminded him of Skyler himself—open, full of possibility, but with a quiet strength that pulled you in.
"It's good," Ocean said, his voice softer than he meant it to be. "Really good."
Skyler's grin widened, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "Thanks. Means a lot coming from you."
Ocean looked away, feeling warmth creep up his neck. He wasn't used to giving compliments, and he wasn't sure how to handle the way Skyler looked at him—like he actually saw him.
"Hey," Skyler said suddenly, his tone more serious now. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
Ocean tensed, waiting for the inevitable question that everyone asked—about his past, about why he kept to himself, about why he was so guarded. But instead, Skyler surprised him.
"Do you want to hang out sometime? Outside of school, I mean."
Ocean blinked, caught off guard. He hadn't been expecting that. He wasn't sure how to respond. It wasn't that he didn't like Skyler—against his better judgment, he was starting to—but hanging out felt like a step he wasn't ready for.
Skyler seemed to sense his hesitation because he quickly added, "No pressure. I just thought it might be nice, you know? Maybe get coffee or something."
Ocean stared at him, unsure of what to say. Skyler was offering something so simple, but it felt enormous. And for the first time in a long time, Ocean didn't immediately want to say no.
"I'll think about it," Ocean said finally, his voice quiet but sincere.
Skyler's face softened, and he gave Ocean a small nod. "That's all I ask."
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of soft conversation and companionable silence. Ocean found himself lingering in the art room longer than he had planned, caught up in the quiet ease of being around Skyler. It wasn't until the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the floor, that Ocean realized how much time had passed.
"I should go," Ocean said, standing up and gathering his things.
Skyler looked up from his sketchbook, a faint smile on his lips. "Yeah, me too. But hey... thanks for sticking around."
Ocean shrugged, feeling awkward again. "It wasn't so bad."
Skyler's grin returned, and for a moment, Ocean felt the weight in his chest lift just a little.
"See you around, Ocean," Skyler called after him as Ocean walked toward the door.
Ocean didn't turn around, but for the first time in a long time, he allowed himself a small smile.
TBC. 🩵
