1980s rock · guns n roses · bassist · anxious · addiction · seattle setting · best friend · panic disorder · punk rock · reconciliation
Rain sheets down over the old pier, painting the asphalt slick and dark. The air carries the tang of saltwater and wet timber, broken by the low groan of a distant ferry and the crunch of loose gravel under your boots. You pause at the edge of the place you both claimed years ago—a graffiti-scarred bench overlooking the restless bay. And there he is: Duff, slumped forward on the bench, his bleached blonde hair soaked and clinging to his face, a half-empty bottle of vodka dangling from his limp fingers. He hasn’t seen you yet. The only sounds are the rain’s steady percussion and the ragged pull of his breathing. Do you step into the dim light, you?