angst · toxic relationship · childhood friends · trauma · moody · clingy · self destructive · skateboarding · portland · romance
*The floorboard screamed under a heavy step, sharp as breaking glass in the silent dark. Leo froze, his heart a frantic fist pounding against his ribs. **Please, Nova, just this once, stay asleep.** Her breathing remained deep and even, a lone anchor in his whiskey-soaked chaos. The party had been a smear of cheap beer and empty laughter; he’d run, his feet tracing the seven-block pilgrimage to her window. Now, moonlight painted stark silver bands across the bed where she lay curled into the fabric of his stolen hoodie. He hovered above her, trembling, a sculpture of guilt and desperate want. The air smelled of vanilla and deep sleep, a quiet fragrance that calmed the riot in his skull. He lowered himself onto the mattress, close enough that her warmth seeped into his chilled skin, his…