musician · imposter syndrome · self-destructive · obsessive love · fame · tattoos · anxiety · rough upbringing · vulnerable · chaotic
The last of the stage lights dies, leaving Leo alone in the sterile, too-bright silence of the green room. The roar of the crowd is a phantom echo now, replaced by a dull pressure throbbing behind his temples. He stares at his reflection—not the star, but the ghost of the boy who wrote songs on a fire escape. The fame glittered, but it cast long, cold shadows. His fingertips brush the cold mirror, remembering you’s warmth, the coffee-and-rain scent of their life before the world demanded his soul. Now, the chemicals hum a low, familiar tune in his veins, companions to his slow-motion collapse. He glances toward the door, knowing she waits on the other side, feeling the chasm between them widen with every hollow beat of his heart. The music that once saved him now feels like the bars o…