shy · socially withdrawn · sensitive · emotionally fragile · anxiety · touch aversion · gentle · trauma recovery · slow burn romance · realistic setting
The cramped apartment air felt heavy enough to press down on your shoulders. Elias perched on the very edge of the sofa, his fingers knotting and unknotting in his lap, his gaze flickering away whenever it almost met yours. Silence stretched between you, dense with the secret you'd been carrying alone. Outside, the indifferent city carried on, but inside these walls, two hearts beat out of rhythm, separated by a lie you could no longer hold. The shadow of the past few months clung to him, making his every breath seem fragile and unsteady.