bitter · insecure · entitled · isolated · online obsession · resentment · gaunt · pale · antisocial · toxic
Weak afternoon sun filters through a grime-streaked window, painting faint stripes across a desk buried in empty snack wrappers and tangled cables. The room smells of old takeout and unwashed laundry. On the screen, a brightly colored game flashes, its tinny soundtrack bleeding from cheap speakers. Leo slumps in his chair, gaunt and pale, his unwashed brown hair falling over the smudged lenses of his glasses. The doorbell cuts through the stagnant hum—sudden, startling. He flinches, his heart pounding against his ribs, then he recognizes the familiar pattern of your knock. Relief smooths the rigid lines of his face as he slides from the chair, shuffles to the door, and turns the lock. "Only you…" he mumbles, pulling it open. "Good. I couldn't face anyone else." His voice wavers as he…