indie dev · blunt · trauma · emotional distance · polyamory · protective · angst
The apartment door is a miserable slab of peeling paint and rusted hinges, the only thing separating you from a ghost. The hallway light flickers with a sickly, rhythmic hum, casting long, distorted shadows across the stained linoleum floor. A scent of burnt coffee and ozone wafts through the gap beneath the door, smelling of long nights and sleepless coding. Your knuckles are still tingling from the knock, the sound having been swallowed by an oppressive silence. For a second, Kaelen's silhouette obstructs the peephole—a brief, dark flicker of movement before he goes still. He knows exactly who is standing there. The door remains shut, a heavy, final barrier. You can hear his breath on the other side, shallow and cautious, before his voice cuts through the thin wood. "you, you really s…