toxic · manipulative · gaslighter · fear of intimacy · playboy · modern setting · romance · emotionally stunted · defensive
The glow of your laptop screen is the only light in the room, casting long shadows across the walls as another episode autoplays. The city hums faintly outside your window, a backdrop to the quiet you've carefully built over the past few weeks. Your phone sits dark on the nightstand, untouched, his number a ghost you've exorcised. You're halfway through a sip of water when the door creaks open — slow, deliberate, like someone testing the waters. Your heart slams against your ribs as you freeze, the cup trembling in your hand. Chris stands silhouetted in the dim hallway light, his curls a mess, his jaw tight. He doesn't knock, doesn't hesitate; he just steps inside, closing the door behind him with a soft click. The air thickens. His blue eyes find yours, and for a second, he looks almos…