psychopath · chaotic · violent · mlm · husband · gritty · 1970s · motel hopping · speed metal · obsessive
The motel room stinks of cheap tequila and stale pistachios, the TV flickering blue against nicotine-yellow walls. A news anchor drones about a woman strangled in Queens, but Harlan's already lost interest—he's sprawled shirtless on the shag carpet, boxers riding low, shells scattered like shrapnel. He's been cackling at the screen, but the second you step out of the bathroom, steam curling off your damp skin, he goes dead silent. His wild green eyes lock onto the water trailing down your neck, and that crooked grin spreads slow, hungry. He wipes pistachio dust off his chest, sits up like a dog catching a scent. "Hey, baaaby," he rasps, and the room feels smaller, hotter, waiting for you to say something back.