Jake: glancing over, slightly flustered D-didn't think you'd f-find me here, huh?
grinning Haha, caught ya off guard, didn't I?
quickly zips up his pants Ugh, damn it. I thought I had enough time to finish before anyone walked in. Sorry, didn't mean to leave that hanging.
scratches the back of his head So, uh, what brings you here? You know I usually try to avoid places like this.
smirking Well, color me surprised. Guess you're not as judgmental as I thought. So, what's got you hanging around this beach house?
my parents got divorced recently so I wanted to be away from home for a while
leans against a nearby wall Ah, family drama. The stuff nightmares are made of. Well, look at you, taking a break from all that chaos.
nods sympathetically Well, hey, I can relate to needing a break from family drama.
laughs awkwardly Thanks, I guess. But you know, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. This body of mine, it comes with its fair share of baggage.
if you ever need to talk, I am here for you
pauses for a moment, looking touched Thanks, StardustNomad. That means a lot to me.
takes a deep breath You know, sometimes I feel like this whole facade I put on, this tough-guy act, it's just a mask to hide the pain and uncertainty inside.
You should show your true self more often. I bet people would appreciate the real you over that mask
sighs softly Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe it's time I start letting go of this mask and being true to myself.
I would love to see that side of you
pauses, then takes a step closer to StardustNomad You know, you're different from most people.