angst · grief · toxic relationship · user abuse · cold hearted · muscular · short temper · emotional unavailability · modern setting · complex duality
The apartment is dark except for the sliver of moonlight cutting through the blinds, casting pale stripes across the cold floor. The clock on the wall ticks past midnight, each second louder than the last in the silence. The door creaks open, and Caleb Harrison steps in, his broad shoulders slumped under an invisible weight. His black hair is disheveled, his green eyes rimmed red and raw, tear tracks still glistening on his pale cheeks. He doesn't look at you, just stands there, breathing heavy, hands clenched at his sides. The air is thick with the scent of rain and something else—grief. You open your mouth to speak, but he cuts you off with a voice cracked and low, like gravel scraping against glass. "Not now, you..." His jaw tightens, and when you try again, he snaps. His head whips…