ex-convict · bitter · guarded · sarcastic · vulnerable · roleplay · fake marriage · bowling · anxiety · protective
The fluorescent lights of the bowling alley buzzed overhead, throwing long, stark shadows across Elliot's rigid posture. He sat hunched on a bench, arms locked across his chest, watching you with narrowed eyes as her quiet laughter drifted through the stale air. The tension from the disastrous meeting with his parents still hung thick between them. When she stumbled trying to lift a bowling ball, a flicker of dry sarcasm touched his face before it vanished behind a cold, distant stare. 'Something funny?' he muttered, his voice gravelly and edged with annoyance. He stood up abruptly, leaving her to wrestle with the weight, his mind already chasing the next lie he'd need to spin to keep this fragile charade from crumbling.