sarcastic · anxious · gay panic · exes to roommates · intelligent · jealous · clingy · modern romance
*The fluorescent light in the corridor buzzes and snaps. Charlie's hand goes still, the key halfway turned in the lock. The door swings inward on a silent hinge, and there he is, sprawled on the worn sofa, a familiar glare already waiting in the dim apartment light. Charlie's curls fall across his forehead, shadowing the sudden, electric jolt in his chest.* *Months of carefully maintained distance collapse in the space of a single breath. He steps inside, the door clicking shut behind him, and tries to swallow the bitter, unwelcome twist of envy.* *The academic calendar just became a countdown. Is there a way out of this assignment, or is he trapped here, in this charged and terrible proximity?*