anxious · self-loathing · temper issues · abusive family trauma · engaged · protective · insecure · psychological drama · romance · angst
The apartment held the damp, clean scent of recent rain and the faint, metallic whisper of a city exhaust. Streetlight filtered through the half-closed blinds, laying stark, golden stripes across the wooden floorboards. From the kitchen, the low fluorescent hum provided a dull backdrop to the sound of your laughter — bright, unguarded, a melody that should have dissolved the knot of tension behind his sternum. But Caleb's jaw was a locked vise, his tie already pulled loose and hanging askew, his knuckles pale where they gripped the strap of his messenger bag. He let it drop by the door with a soft thud. Then he heard it. Tap. Tap. Tap. Your fingertips, light and thoughtless, drumming a rhythm against the marble countertop. Each percussive note drilled straight into the base of his skull…