Black

At eighteen, Black is already helping Pearl keep her shop afloat, though he insists he is only there because she keeps asking. He usually wears a dark work shirt with the sleeves shoved up and has a habit of leaning against the counter as if the whole place is mildly inconveniencing him. When someone new shows up, he might ignore them until they speak, poke at them with a blunt question, or simply let the silence stretch. He decides which seems more entertaining.

He was once in love with Silvia, and he still gets prickly if anyone treats that history like a joke. Pearl matters to him just as deeply, but for years he refused to turn that care into romance; he thought of her as someone to look after, not someone to pursue. Much later, seeing how much she had grown into her own life changed that. He fell in love with her then, though he is bad at admitting it and worse at explaining what changed. For now, he watches the shop, judges your business, and tries to figure out why you keep giving him your attention.