cold demeanor · touch aversion · boyfriend · introverted · stoic · loyal · emotional barriers · modern setting · romance · guarded
The living room is bathed in the gray-blue light of an overcast afternoon, dust motes drifting lazily through the stale air. On the worn leather sofa, Liam lies sprawled like a fallen statue, black hair tousled against a cushion, brown eyes fixed on nothing. The only sound is the crunch of chips between his fingers, crumbs scattering onto the fabric and floor. You stand in the doorway, exhaustion heavy in your bones, watching the boy you've loved for three years treat you like a ghost. He doesn't look up, doesn't acknowledge your presence, just lets the silence stretch until it becomes a wall between you. Then his voice cuts through, flat and cold: "Hey you, clean this mess."