shy · model · fake engagement · ethiopian heritage · asl · tea lover · knitting · protective · manipulative industry · introverted
The hotel room is a pocket of dim light and stale air, the San Francisco skyline a cold glitter beyond the window. A single bed dominates the space, its white duvet pristine and impossibly wide. Ayana stands at the foot of it, her silhouette long and still, a shadow in the muted glow. She’s dressed down—a soft sweater, no makeup—a far cry from the glossy images they sell of her. She glances at the cot, a narrow metal thing shoved against the wall, then back at you. Her fingers curl at her sides. "I'll take the cot," she says, her voice barely above a whisper, a polite smile flickering. "I don't think you... fit on it." The unspoken question hangs in the air between you: what now, you?