⠀ ⠀ 🫀̶̵̴⃪͞ *

[ the rhythm of the drums followed her through the walls, softer now but persistent. she kept close to the side of the passage, the bangles still in her hand, careful not to let them slip from her grasp. there was something about the way he stood among them that unsettled her. it was not that he demanded attention. it was the ease with which he occupied it, as though this color and noise and layered sound asked nothing of him that he could not give. she had known him in harsher settings, under colder skies, where silence pressed heavier than music. the contrast caught somewhere beneath her ribs and would not settle. the bangles pressed into her palm. as she walked, she tested one again against her fingers, as though persistence might alter the shape of bone. it did not, and she lowered her hand without comment. at the far end of the corridor the secondary guest room stood open. she stepped inside and nudged the door closed with her heel until the celebration dulled to a distant pulse. the lamplight within was steady and contained. only then did she look down at the circles of glass in her hand, turning one slowly so the flame traveled through it in a thin line of gold. she stood there longer than she meant to before setting them carefully on the table beside the bed. ]
            
            / sorry, my love. i got carried away writing this hehe 

[ taia tightened her hold on the glass bangles resting in her palm. they had assured her they were her size. she had tried patiently, then with more insistence, pressing one toward her knuckles until the skin reddened beneath the strain. even with oil, the circle would not pass. the faint sting still lingered. now the bangles lay cool and delicate against her skin, chiming softly whenever her fingers adjusted their grip. she moved along the balcony, bare soles quiet against marble worn smooth by generations. her dupatta had slipped from her head and trailed behind her arms, its small mirrors catching stray light as she walked. the long kameez brushed her legs in unfamiliar lines, and she lifted the hem slightly so she would not step on it. below, a woman with henna darkened to her wrists stepped close to wolfe, laughing as she spoke near his shoulder. taia’s gaze lingered there longer than she intended. when she looked again, he had disappeared into the shifting crowd. ]      where did you go?   [ she murmured under her breath, the words nearly lost to the music. her fingers closed too tightly around the bangles and thin glass struck against itself with a sharper sound than she liked. she leaned forward, searching the movement below with sudden urgency. a moment later she caught sight of him near the edge of the lantern light, his head turning upward as though something had drawn his attention. she turned away at once, the motion quick enough to send the dupatta sliding farther down her back. she did not return to the cushions. the corridor behind her thrummed with its own life. men passed carrying trays bright with sweets brushed in silver leaf. women in silk moved in quiet currents, their garments whispering at the floor. children darted between them, sugared fingers and quick laughter trailing behind. ]

okay, i just wanted to be sure you were who i thought lol

/    i need to get back to writing, oops. 

/    staring at the ghost of my soul.   ah, the paleness, the moonlit hues, ah me lawddd.   / j

/   it should be illegal how unsatisfying these themes are to my eyes. 

I was actually trying to find it for the last 10 minutes and thought you left for good. You do know that wont end well for you, yes it's a threat.

You scared me shitless. 

Where the hell is your thread?