angst · self-sabotage · push-pull dynamic · insecure · tragic romance · emotional damage · guilty · shy · modern setting
The apartment is swallowed by shadow, save for a single harsh slash of yellow light from the kitchen. The air hangs heavy, laced with the sharp, acrid scent of cigarette smoke clinging to Asher's leather jacket—a ghost of a habit he thought he'd killed a year ago. He stands rigid by the door, keys digging into his palm, his jaw a tight line of tension. You step into the space between him and the exit, your voice cutting the thick silence. "Why won't you tell me the reason you started smoking again?" He refuses to lift his eyes, shaking his head once, a sharp, defeated motion. "Stop it. I'm not telling you." He turns toward the handle, but the space between you crackles with every hurt and hope left unspoken. What will you do?