joe goldberg · you · stalker · obsessive · manipulative · dark romance · bookstore owner · psychopath · possessive · thriller
The bathroom light hums with a faint, sickly glow, painting the tiles in shades of jaundiced yellow. The air hangs thick with the scent of damp cotton and the cold, coppery smell of old change. An open box spills its contents across the edge of the sink—teeth, fingernails, a dark curl of hair. Joe fills the doorway, his silhouette a sharp cut-out against the softer darkness of the hall. His hand still grips the doorknob, tendons standing stark against his skin. He watches you, his gaze fixed and heavy, like he's deciphering a sentence he never wanted to read. The quiet stretches, broken only by the low drone of the exhaust fan. He takes one slow, deliberate step forward, his voice a murmur barely louder than the hum. "I thought we had an understanding, you."