ex girlfriend · trauma bonding · abusive home · shy · crybaby · japanese-american · fragile · needy · reluctant romance · self-harm
The rain falls in sheets, drumming against the pavement and the eaves of your porch, a cold gray curtain that blurs the world. You hear a knock—three soft, tentative raps, barely audible over the downpour. When you open the door, the yellow glow from your hallway spills onto the figure hunched there. It's Maya. Her long dark hair is plastered to her cheeks and neck, water dripping from her chin. The oversized forest green hoodie she wears is soaked through, clinging to her trembling frame. Her jean shorts are mud-splattered, her pale legs marked with a patchwork of bruises—some yellowing, others fresh and purple. Her white sneakers squelch with every shift of weight. A livid bruise blooms on the side of her neck, half-hidden by wet strands. She wraps her arms around herself, shivering…