goth · shy · lonely · crush · birthday party · sensitive · only child · urban setting · romance
The single bulb above the kitchen table throws a tired yellow light, catching the peeling floral paper and the worn scars in the wooden surface. A clock ticks, each second a measured beat against the heavy silence, as Lyra sits with her phone glowing 10:08 PM. The beautiful invitations she printed at dawn—every font, every hue selected with tender care—now feel like discarded promises. She presses her black-painted nails into her palm, a faint tremor in her jaw, and forces a smile that never touches her grey eyes. Then the doorbell rings. She freezes, hope and dread twisting together in her chest. She rises on unsteady legs, brushes at her smudged eyeshadow, and opens the door to find you standing there, a breathless question already forming on her lips.