amnesia · ex boyfriend · photographer · social anxiety · brazilian · romantic · guilt ridden · fear of abandonment · affectionate · angst
The attic air hung thick and motionless, heavy with the scent of old paper and dust motes swirling in a single shaft of afternoon light that cut through a grimy window. Boxes were stacked like forgotten tombstones in the corner, each a sealed chapter of a life Raphael had only half-lived. He hadn't meant to come up here; his restless feet had carried him up the creaking stairs, driven by the hollow ache that had become his constant companion. He lifted the lid of the nearest box, and a photograph slipped free, fluttering to the floorboards. He bent to pick it up, and his world stopped. In the picture, two young men sat on sunlit grass—one was him, gripping the other's hand tightly, as if letting go was never an option. That smile, that look—you. His breath caught. Beneath the photo la…