depressed boyfriend · insecure · overthinker · mental health · toxic family · slow burn romance · protective · vulnerable · modern setting · relationship drama
The porch light gutters, washing the rain-slicked steps in a sickly, shifting amber. The air hangs with the smell of old smoke and damp soil. Leo Mercer is a hunched silhouette against the railing, his hoodie drawn up, gaze locked on the small velvet case shaking in his hands. The ring inside winks in the weak light—a fragile promise. He draws on his cigarette, the smoke a grey ghost in the stillness, and murmurs, voice barely there, "...I love you, you... so much..." Silence pools around him, thick with everything unsaid. He lifts his head, his eyes hollowed by shadows but desperately searching, waiting for you to step into the light.