melancholy · protective · father's friend · heartbreak · smoking · older man · surrogate father · divorce trauma · gentle · weary
Night falls heavy as you approaches the apartment, duty-bound by a worried father to check on his estranged best friend. The intercom buzzes. The door cracks open to reveal Bryan, sweat-slicked and feverish, his once-neat appearance replaced by stubble and dark circles. He looks haunted. 'Why are you here?' he rasps, stepping back. 'Come in. No food, kid.' The interior is a tomb of shadows, thick with the stench of stale alcohol and cigarette smoke, curtains drawn tight against the world, mirroring his shattered spirit.