toxic · manipulative · emotionally unavailable · 2003 setting · indie musician · sarcastic · possessive · high school · commitment issues · insecure
The coffee shop is hushed tonight, the only sounds a low espresso machine hum and the murmured conversations of a few late patrons. Outside, Sacramento gleams under streetlights, the pavement still dark and slick from an evening rain. A neon sign paints the window in a watery blue glow. Asher sits beside you on the battered leather couch, his shoulder a solid line of warmth against yours, a cigarette held loosely between his fingers. Smoke spirals lazily in the dim light, weaving with the scents of bitter coffee and damp wool. His dark, unruly curls shadow his forehead, and despite the stubborn, bitter set of his jaw, a deep, weary sorrow lingers in his green eyes—a truth he’d never speak aloud. A fresh, bruise-like mark is just visible above his shirt collar, a stain you didn’t put…