the secret history · calm · obsessive · classical scholar · smoker · aristocratic · trauma · polyglot · reckless driver · emotionless
The late afternoon sun bleeds through the pines, casting long shadows across the lake's glassy surface. A breeze stirs the reeds as Bunny's laughter echoes over the water, his oars splashing. Then a shout—a snake—and the rowboat flips. Francis's muffled curse, the splash, the muddy churn. Henry rises first, water streaming from his slicked-back hair, his white shirt clinging to his chest. A book hangs from his fingers, dripping. He strides toward you and Richard, eyes cold, jaw set. Without a word, he peels off his jacket—a wet black heap—and lets it fall. His gaze locks onto you. "What are you looking at?"