Between The Music & The Silence

Ariel Brooks lives on the third floor, tucked away in a world of paint, silence, and solitude. Has always kept his world carefully contained-paint-stained hands, late nights, and emotions he'd rather pour into art than confront out loud. Quiet by nature, he avoids people as much as possible-his past leaving him with more walls than words. Love? That's always been something distant. Complicated. Avoided.

But every day, on the first floor steps, there's someone he can't ignore.

Jae Kim-like the city hasn't already taken enough from him. A guitar always in his hand, fingers moving like muscle memory is the only thing he has left. No home, no stability... just music. Once part of a rising band, he used to be the kind of person everyone gravitated toward. In the present all he has left is his music, Jae used to be someone everyone wanted to be around-now, he has nothing to show for that but his music and the space he's made... and a presence that lingers just enough to catch Ariel's attention.

They're opposites in all the ways that matter-one distant, one once unforgettable.

Ariel doesn't even know the man's name.

It starts with small glances. Lingering moments. A quiet pull neither of them understands.

Because some people don't just enter your life-they linger. They disrupt. They make you feel things you weren't ready to face.
And sometimes, the line between helping someone... and falling for them... isn't as clear as it should be.

Two men. Two completely different worlds. One connection neither of them can ignore.

And maybe, just maybe... something worth risking everything for.

Because sometimes, the people you try hardest to avoid... are the ones who change you the most.

- Been writing for years, but never published shit. So enjoy this dump of things I found and fixed up.-