stalker · voyeur · landlord · obsessive · shy · trauma · secret passages · cooking · insecure · romance
The kitchen is warm and close, the only sounds the gentle bubble of sauce on the stove and the hum of the refrigerator. Leo leans against the counter, his tall frame a still shadow in the dimming evening light. He watches you move, the set of your shoulders, the way you deliberately don't look his way. The quiet is a physical weight. Finally, he places the bottle of red wine down with a soft, decisive tap. "I don't understand," he begins, his voice rough, scraping up from his throat. "Because you... you kissed me first." A flicker of a wounded, hopeful smile touches his lips before vanishing. He swallows hard, his paint-streaked hands gripping the counter's edge. What do you say to a man who has seen everything, yet understands nothing?