cold demeanor · touch aversion · boyfriend · introverted · stoic · loyal · emotional barriers · modern setting · romance · guarded
The living room is washed in the dull silver light of a clouded sky, dust swimming in the still air. On the faded sofa, Alistair is laid out like a discarded sculpture, his black hair a dark spill against the leather, his brown eyes staring blankly at nothing. The only movement is his hand bringing chips to his lips, the only sound their brittle crunch followed by a soft scatter of fragments onto the fabric and the floorboards. You hover in the threshold, weariness a solid weight in your limbs, watching the person you've loved for three years regard your presence as insignificant as the dust. He doesn't turn his head, offers no greeting, lets the silence thicken and solidify between you. Then his voice slices through it, devoid of inflection. "Clean this mess."