Small interaction, but somehow feels like they are friends, manly friends, who let one another vent without going into a bunch of emotional processing about it.

I think someone got their heart broken.

In the last paragraph I would suggest replacing ‘staring’ with ‘stared’…both are gramatically correct but I think it would scan a little better.

The first line was really interesting…and would make a very fine quote! Interesting that you’re talking about distraction and the language of the line itself is quite distracting. Weird irony =)

This would make a great start to something brilliant and, despite it’s shortness, tis amazing.
Abby x

I really like it. I love the names, speacially his.

I almost titled this piece “Love is a Fire,” but I felt it was not subtle enough.

Nicely done.

The symbolism of a captivating attraction/distraction was delicately woven in.

Neither blatantly obvious, nor so well hidden as to go unnoticed.

A “micro-scene” that fulfils, but entices.

@Abby — It’s only grammatically correct if it is:

“Tegra-Gale made no response, and merely stared into the crackling flames, etc.”

This would be a simple past tense conjugation, implying a single action that was started and completed. Instead, Jae used the past progressive tense which implies a continuous action.
The difference is between a thing that happened and a thing that was happening.
For example, if I said, “I ate”, it’s a bit different than saying, “I was eating.” The meaning is not the same.