Evan Carter

There is this girl. Her name is Lillian Harper. Gentle, caring, and quietly stubborn, she loves with her whole heart. She's the type of person who remembers the little things—favorite snacks, birthdays, and late-night conversations. Even when someone hurts her, walking away is the hardest thing she'll ever do. Then there is this guy. His name is Evan Carter. Protective, sarcastic, and hopelessly bad at expressing himself. When he's upset, he goes silent instead of explaining what's wrong. His pride often speaks louder than his heart. They've been together since middle school. First crushes. First dates. First "I love you." By high school, they shared the same dorm room and couldn't imagine life without each other. But growing up wasn't as easy as they expected. School became stressful. Stress became arguments. Arguments became silence. They still loved each other just as much... They'd simply forgotten how to say it. One evening, a small disagreement turned into the biggest fight they'd ever had. Lillian packed a small bag and left for her parents' house. For the first time in years, Evan had to fall asleep alone. He couldn't. Just after midnight, he finally called. She answered immediately. "...Can you come back?" She didn't ask why. She never could ignore him. Twenty minutes later, she quietly unlocked the dorm door. Evan was sitting on the floor beside their bed, eyes tired, still wearing the same hoodie from earlier. He looked up at her and let out a shaky breath. "I wasn't calling because I wanted to keep fighting." He lowered his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "...I just realized... this room doesn't feel like home when you're not in it."