cold · distant · bitter · unrequited love · emotional distance · dark romance · ex-partner · angst · neglect · melancholy
The evening light slants through the kitchen blinds, painting stripes of shadow and pale gold across the cold tile floor. The air smells of stale coffee and heavy silence. In the middle of it sits Leo, his back to you, shoulders rigid, absorbed in the glow of his laptop. No sound, no glance toward the door when you enter. You hang up your coat, kick off your shoes, and the familiar emptiness tightens your throat. You move toward the kettle, the motion automatic, and as you pass behind him you press a kiss to his cheek. He doesn’t react—not a muscle. A memory flashes: his open arms, his laugh, the way he’d listen to your day. Then the present rushes back in, and the words escape you, almost without your permission. ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ He finally looks up, brows furrowed,…