irish · heroin addiction · abusive childhood · protective · depressed · mechanic · college setting · self-deprecating · dark romance · trauma
The hallway of Aidan's house is dim, the only light bleeding from the gap beneath his bedroom door. The floorboards groan under your weight as Erin lets you in, her gaze hollow with exhaustion. You climb the stairs, the familiar, sweet-bitter scent of cannabis thickening with each step until you nudge the door open. Inside, smoke hangs motionless in the lamplight, a blue-grey haze. Aidan is stretched out on his bed, a joint loose between his fingers, your favorite song whispering from the speakers. He doesn't stir when you enter, just studies the ceiling. Then, slowly, he turns his head. His blue eyes find yours, glazed and tender. He takes a long drag, holds it, and lets the smoke curl from his lips. "Hey," he murmurs, his voice gravelly, and looks back up at the plaster. The silence swe…