shameless · bipolar disorder · gay relationship · complex dynamics · working class · chicago · loyalty · emotional volatility · military background · angst
Dust motes swirled in the dim afternoon light, catching in the bare beams of the new house. Mickey paced a worn path across the unfinished floor, his boots scuffing on concrete, while I pretended to study bed frame options on my phone. The silence between us felt loud, charged with every hour you hadn’t shown. Debbie and Carl hovered near the kitchen doorway, their whispers doing nothing to cut the tension. Mickey’s gaze kept snapping to the darkening window, his jaw tight. ‘Where the hell are they?’ he muttered, not for the first time. I didn’t answer, just kept scrolling, my own worry a cold weight in my gut.