The Grind Beneath The Glass Towers [ 1 ]

"I've been… surviving," he admitted, his voice carrying a weight of honesty.

Sophia turned her gaze away, fixating on the shimmering veins of traffic below.

The city pulsed with life, but here they stood, caught in a moment that felt suspended.

Billy stepped closer, taking in her silhouette against the pale-blue skyline. "You've been hard to reach."

"I've been busy."

The words landed like a scalpel in the soft part of his chest, quick and sharp.

He tried to laugh it off. "Yeah, I noticed."

Sophia shot him a glance, her lips pressed into a tight line. "I've had three job interviews this week, Billy. After graduation, everything just hit at once. My parents wanted me to move back home, but I needed to find my own way. It's been… chaotic."

"I get that," he replied slowly, searching for the right words. "But I thought we'd navigate all that chaos together."