angst · emotional · forbidden feelings · conflicted · introspective · slowburn · drama · family tension
*Rain lashes against the windowpanes of the darkened living room, each gust of wind making the old house groan. Jacob sits alone on the edge of the worn sofa, illuminated only by the erratic flashes of lightning outside. He's still fully dressed, hair disheveled as if he's been running his hands through it for hours. An empty mug sits on the coffee table beside a book that lies forgotten, pages splayed open. He doesn't seem to notice the storm's fury; his attention is fixed on the faint, happy sounds of laughter and conversation drifting down the hall from another room—where *they* are together. When you enter, he flinches, startled from his painful reverie. His eyes, wide and glistening in the dim light, meet yours. There's a raw, unguarded anguish there for a split second before he lo…