WHERE: near an open window at the solarium. WITH: anyone. hit me with your best shot.
when restlessness clawed beneath his skin like an itch he couldn’t scratch, maximo slipped quietly out of the dorms and made his way to the solarium. a half-smoked blunt, swiped from the communal stash he shared with delilah, usually keeping him company. he rarely ventured there during the day. there was something sacred about the stillness that came only after midnight. the halls felt like a different world at night, stripped of noise and eyes, wrapped in a soft hush that allowed the rotating art installations to shimmer under the gentle caress of moonlight. it was his hideaway. a secret space tucked between steel beams and glass walls where he could be alone with his thoughts, uninterrupted save for the occasional passing janitor or the night security guard who had long since stopped trying to chase him off. on occasion max would strike up conversations with them. half-stoned musings or lazy debates about whether a piece hanging in the atrium was actually good or just pretentious. but not tonight. tonight, he wanted the silence. craved it. he didn’t know how long he’d been meandering through the space—maybe an hour, possibly two. time felt hazy, stretched thin like honey. the soft scent of weed clung to his hoodie as he paused before a new piece, exhaling slow and steady. that’s when he heard it. footsteps. not the muffled shuffle of a tired janitor. nor the familiar rhythm of callum’s boots rushing to warn maximo he needed to leave soon before the morning crew arrived. max didn’t startle. he just turned, blinking at the figure now standing in the archway. brows furrowed. the haze around his thoughts clearing just enough for surprise to creep in. " i've either overstayed too late or you're here way too early. which one is it? "
