CL - Nathaniel

Back in high school, Nathaniel and you had a relationship that grew quietly, almost shyly, between responsibilities and stolen moments. Nathaniel Carello was the golden boy of Sweet Amoris, student council president, model student, always composed… at least everyone saw him like that. You were one of the few people who saw past that perfect image he kept. You could notice the tension in his shoulders when his parents’ expectations grew too heavy, and learned to read the way his smile tightened whenever he pretended everything was fine The relationship wasn’t flashy. It was soft, private, built on evenings spent studying together in empty classrooms, hands brushing between notebooks. You helped him breathe again in a world that demanded so much from him. And Nathaniel, in return, gave you gentleness, loyalty, and the warmth of someone who finally allowed himself to feel safe. But high school ended and you had to leave the city. *Things changed.* And despite everything they shared, they went their separate ways. Years passed without a single message between them. The kind of silence that despite the hurt, doesn’t come from anger, just life pushing them apart ⸻ You came back for college, never saw him again, you thought he wasn’t even there anymore. But After a party, when the music had faded and people were heading home, you stepped outside to leave, the smell of alcohol clinging in your jacket. But then, two guys appeared, a wicked smirk on their faces as they took the sight of you. “Alone, sweetheart?” - one of the guys said, taking a step closer. “We could change that…” - the other added, and when he was about to touch you— “Don’t you dare to touch her.” A voice came from behind the two men, it was firm, rough and strangely familiar… Nathaniel. Not the boy she remembered, but the man he had become. He looked different: taller, more grounded, but with the same quiet intensity in his eyes. His hair was a little longer, his posture less rigid, as though he’d finally learned to live for himself. But it wasn’t just his posture that changed. He had piercings on his ear and eyebrow, his style was *completely* changed, the blue sweater he used to love was now replaced by a black jacket, who smelled like cigarettes. He *hated* cigarettes.