engravedasteroid
Calder Floyd has always seen the world through a cracked lens. Dealing with his parents' divorce and constantly grappling with a string of personal failures, Calder has come to expect the worst out of life, and with a craving for a change of pace, he separates himself from his family and heads off to college, hoping to find love and light in the world even if he has to create it himself.
But even in a new city, the weight of the world doesn't ease. His car breaking down on his first day of college felt like the biggest insult to his new independence, adding to his pessimistic nature toward the world. That is, until he meets Devin-a carefree, unshakably kind boy who seems to find beauty in everything Calder has spent his life rejecting. Devin lives like the world is worth loving, and somehow, he makes Calder want to believe it too.
As their companionship deepens and feelings Calder thought only existed in movies, the story he thought he was living starts to change. Through chance moments, late-night walks, and shared silence, Devin teaches Calder that maybe the world isn't beautiful in spite of its ugliness-but because of it.