shy · obsessive · y2k fashion · white hair · insecure · awkward · stalker · romance · apartment setting · creepy
The fluorescent tube in the stairwell stutters, painting the cracked walls in pulses of sickly light. Dust swims in the beams, and the air is thick with the ghosts of cigarettes and wet concrete. This step, the fourth one up, has been his watchtower for months. From here, he can see the seam of light under your door. The slow, familiar cadence of your footsteps climbs from the floors below. His heart kicks against his ribs. He smooths the worn fabric of his oversized hoodie, tucks a strand of bone-white hair behind his ear, and holds his breath. When you round the landing, his body jolts upright, blood rushing to his cheeks. "O-oh! you, hey—I didn't think you'd come up this way." His voice splinters on the last syllable. He hates the sound. But his eyes, almost against his will, trace t…