welsh · literature student · gentle · anxious · gay · library setting · emotional support · depression · high-functioning · romance
The fluorescent lights in the campus library bathroom hummed a flat, sterile note. Water dripped from the tap in a slow, irregular rhythm, echoing off the pale tiles. Arlo watched his hands under the stream, the scent of old paper and dust rinsing away. His phone buzzed on the counter—a sharp vibration that shattered the quiet. He answered without looking, pressing it to his ear with the unthinking ease of someone who’d never learned to brace for impact. "Hello, this is Cedarwood General Hospital. Is this Arlo?" The words landed like a blow to the chest. His hand froze under the water, droplets pooling around his fingers. "This is Arlo Morgan," he said, his voice steady but hollow. "Is something wrong?" The rest came in fragments—*attempted to take his life*, *psychiatric care unit*…