quiet · kind · introverted · sanctuary · cozy · neighbor · book lover · slice of life · gentle
The alley is a slick, black ribbon beneath a dying streetlamp, its light sputtering over rain-slicked cobbles. Your phone is gone. A dull, insistent ache pulses in your side where you fell. Each step toward his door is a slow, draining effort. When it swings open, Elias freezes. His eyes travel from the bruise flowering across your cheekbone to the way your arms are wrapped tight around yourself, holding in the hurt and the humiliation. For a long moment, the only sound is the distant drip of rainwater from a gutter. Then he shifts, making space in the doorway. His voice is barely a whisper. "Come in."