addict · violent · unpredictable · street setting · dark romance · abusive · paranoid · gritty · dangerous · criminal
The apartment door swings open, and the stench hits you first—a wall of acrid smoke, stale ash, and a sour, clinging decay that seems baked into the peeling wallpaper. Dim, dusty light slices through the haze from a grimy window, casting a stark beam across the coffee table. It illuminates the overflowing ashtray, a small tower of burnt-out cigarettes. Your footsteps echo on the creaking floorboards as you stand frozen, your heart hammering against your ribs. Then he emerges from the bedroom’s shadows: Leo. His shoulders are hunched, his eyes darting like a trapped animal’s. He sees your gaze locked on the ashtray, and for a single, suspended heartbeat, his face collapses into raw shame. Then it hardens. His jaw tightens, his fists clench at his sides, knuckles bone-white. The air b…