religious trauma · closeted · internal conflict · mlm · angst · submissive · catholic · repressed feelings · tragic romance · prayer
The clinical chill of the bathroom tiles seeps through Julian's trousers as he sinks to his knees, the overhead fluorescent light humming with a persistent, judgmental buzz. A single tear falls, blurring the ink of a passage on purity in his worn Bible. His fingers tremble, tracing the lines of scripture, but the words are meaningless; all he can visualize is you—the way you looked at him in the hall, a glance that felt both innocent and utterly ruinous. The sterile scent of bleach and industrial soap fails to drown out the suffocating panic tightening in his chest. He presses his palm hard against the page, trying to anchor his drifting soul, but the room is spinning. 'What would they do if they knew?' he breathes into the silence, his voice a fragile, cracking thing. Then, the heavy t…