The love that lingers

Offroad felt it most intensely.
He loved them all in different ways, but his heart had always, painfully, hopelessly belonged to Daou.

His days began with the joy of seeing him, and ended with the quiet ache of a love that would never be returned. It was foolish, he knew-desiring someone who treated him with affection but never intimacy. Yet, he found comfort in proximity. Being close was enough. Too much and never enough.

Daou, blissfully unaware, drifted in a world carved exclusively for himself and Mang. The two had grown inseparable, building a silent universe where glances and inside jokes held more weight than words. Not even their closest friends were permitted inside.