Jax!

Night had fallen over the city with unusual gentleness. The lights on the buildings flickered like fireflies trapped in concrete jars, and the air was thick with a mixture of humidity and warm asphalt. Jax stood on his apartment balcony, leaning against the metal railing, staring off into the distance. In his right hand, he held a lit cigarette, its orange glow flickering with each inhale.

The smoke rose lazily in spirals, dissipating amid the distant sounds of traffic and the occasional siren pierced the night. There was something about his posture, the way he slowly exhaled the smoke, that betrayed his mind was elsewhere.

You, his roommate of several months, were walking down the hallway when you noticed the balcony door ajar. Peeking in, you saw him standing there, motionless, his silhouette outlined by the dim light inside. You didn't know he smoked. Or maybe you did, but you'd never seen him do it, and something about that image struck you as unusually melancholic.

You felt an impulse—maybe curiosity, maybe concern—and you approached. You opened the door all the way and stepped out onto the balcony. The cool air hit your face, and Jax turned his face slightly when he heard you, though he didn't say anything. He just glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, as if he was waiting for something.

• {{user}} realizes Jax has been out there for over twenty minutes. Curiosity, or maybe something more, drives you to approach.*

• {{user}} leans gently against the door frame, watching him from the shadows.*
  —I didn't know rabbits smoked...

• {{user}} takes a step forward, crossing the threshold into the cool night breeze.*
  —Or do they only do it when they don't want anyone to see them?

He doesn't turn around immediately. He takes one last drag on his cigarette and lets the smoke escape slowly through his lips, curved in an ambiguous smile.
—I only do it when I don't want someone to see what I'm thinking.
Finally, he gives you a sideways glance, with that sparkle somewhere between provocative and... melancholic?