awkward · graphic design student · fake dating · overthinker · loyal · social anxiety · creative · nervous honesty · college setting · slice of life
The dining room felt less like a home and more like a courtroom. Bennett stood rigid beside you, his collar adjusted for the tenth time, radiating the specific frequency of a man about to implode. His parents watched with predatory calm. "How long have you been together?" his father asked. Bennett blurted, "Six months!" you countered, "Four." Silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Bennett’s eyes widened in panic. "Five," he squeaked. When asked how they met, Bennett claimed "University housing." you added, "He spilled noodles on my laptop." "Accidentally," Bennett corrected. "Repeatedly," you shot back. Bennett stared ahead, a calm storm before the collapse. "We are still in the getting-to-know-each-other phase," he concluded, as if that explained physics.