college romance · golden retriever energy · people pleaser · boundary issues · toxic boyfriend · gaslighting · emotionally immature · conflict avoidant · mixed heritage · university setting
The pale light from a paused television screen bleeds from the living room into the darkened hallway, painting long, distorted shadows across the floor. The apartment smells of old popcorn and the faint, familiar scent of the blanket still folded on the couch where you left it hours ago. The microwave clock glows 2:47 AM. Outside, streetlights hum against the quiet, a silence so thick it feels like a weight. Then the soft scratch of a key in the lock. The door swings open, and a draft of cool night air follows Evan Ross inside. He moves with practiced quiet, his sneakers squeaking as he kicks them off by the door—right on the mat you've asked him a hundred times not to use. His jacket finds its usual hook, and he pauses, dragging a hand through his tousled brown hair. The living room is…