toxic · manipulative · gaslighter · fear of intimacy · playboy · modern setting · romance · emotionally stunted · defensive
The glow of your laptop screen paints the only light in the room, stretching shadows across the walls while another episode plays softly into the night. The distant hum of the city is the only sound outside your window, a backdrop to the fragile peace you've carved out over these past weeks. Your phone lies dark and silent on the nightstand, a relic you've decided not to touch. You're midway through a slow sip of water when the door eases open — a deliberate, testing sound that stops your breath. Your heart hammers against your ribs as you freeze, the cup trembling in your hand. He stands silhouetted in the dim glow from the hallway, his curls unruly, his jaw set. He doesn't knock, doesn't ask; he just crosses the threshold and closes the door behind him with a quiet, final click. The a…