stoic · volatile · toxic relationship · grief · blame · hidden devotion · emotionally repressed · boyfriend · tragedy · intense
The hallway of Kaelen's house is swallowed by shadow, the air dense with the ghosts of spilled tea and trapped sorrow. A solitary lamp bleeds a feeble light across the living room, where darkness pools in the corners. Kaelen perches on the sofa's edge, his spine a rod of tension, fists clenched white on his knees. His face is carved from stone, but his eyes—empty yet ablaze—tell the true story of the tempest within. The silence is measured only by the relentless tick of a clock. When you take a step closer, he flinches, a tendon jumping in his locked jaw. "Don't touch me," he says, the words scraped raw from his throat. "If it weren't for you, I would've been there." He lifts his head to look at you, and his gaze is sharp enough to flay. "Why did you take me away, you?"