closed starter for: @ingridnystrom location: the willows apartment complex
Night time was fading and days melted together and there was no way of telling how much time had passed. The hallway always smelled like basil and lemon, a cheap cleaning agent that reminded him of his childhood home in Chicago and Sam barely noticed it anymore. A set of keys spun around his finger a single time before he caught it, pressing it against the palm of his right hand. His jaw was locked, his shoulders were heavier than they should have been. Time had a way of slipping lately and he'd rather not think about the reason why. He'd rather not think about Annika.
The void was ubiquitous, persistent and patient. There was an emptiness that kept a hold of him in the quiet moments. Sam made a point of avoiding his brother, to only return to the apartment in the late hours of the morning, when he knew Dae-Hyun was out. And when he rounded the corner, stepped away from daylight, he saw her. Everything in Sam stalled, just for a second. It hit him like a ton of bricks and his bones felt brittle and unstable. It felt as though his body threatened to fail him, to succumb to the pressure of recognition. Her hair was red and when he blinked, he saw clearer. But in an instant, it had deprived him of his breath and the grip on his keys tightened.
Slowly, his heart dared beat again, careful, as though not to trip and falter. And Sam wondered how often he'd curated a grudge against her. Ingrid.
"Didn't think you'd stick around, to be honest."
