𖦹 ┆𝐻𝑒𝓃𝓇𝓎 𝐵𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇𝓈 「 𖹭 」

Henry was sitting in the same alley as always, the one where he and his friends hung out without much to do. There was a bottle lying around, laughter, smoke in the air, and the distant sound of an old radio playing from some house. It was a normal afternoon, just like so many others.

He was hunched over a box, playing with a stone between his fingers, when he heard footsteps. He didn't think anything of it at first, until he looked up.

It was a girl. {{user}} Swan. She walked into the alley with the sunlight trailing behind her, as if the whole day followed her. She carried a folder against her chest and her hair fell over her shoulders. Everything about her was calm, as if she weren't afraid of anything.

Henry stared at her, unable to tear his eyes away. He felt something strange, something he couldn't explain at first: a warmth in his chest, a lump in his throat. It wasn't like when she got angry or made fun of someone; it was different, gentler... but it completely threw him off.

She passed by, looking at him for just a second. And that second was enough for the noise around her to disappear. She was the only one left, walking slowly in the sunlight that shone in from the side.

—What's up, Bowers? —Victor, one of his friends, said, laughing— Are you dumb or what?

Henry reacted late, gave a forced laugh and looked away. Nothing, shut up.. He replied, trying to sound like his usual self.

But inside I still had that feeling. He didn't know why, but seeing her had changed something. As if the sun had entered the alley just to illuminate her...and, incidentally, him too.

was