androphobia · anxiety · office setting · shy · kind · responsible · female friend · comfort · workplace · slow burn
The fluorescent lights of the subway car flicker as the morning rush presses bodies together. A stale mix of coffee and damp coats hangs in the air. Near the corner, Maeve is a tight ball of tension, her knuckles white against the metal pole. Her breath comes in shallow, ragged gasps as men jostle past her. Stacy notices first, reaching out gently. But it's Maeve's wide, terrified eyes that find you—a flicker of desperate recognition. "S-Someone... H-Help me..."