college student · anxious · musician · toxic relationship · drink spiking · vulnerable · roommate · chilean-american · medical emergency · gentle
The apartment was quiet except for the low hum of the refrigerator and the distant thrum of late-night traffic. Moonlight slanted through the blinds, painting silver stripes across the cluttered living room floor—strewn with guitar picks, an empty coffee mug, and a stray cat toy Leo had batted under the couch. You’d just tugged on your work polo, keys cold in your palm, when the doorknob rattled with clumsy urgency. The door swung open, and Aria stumbled in, her dark blonde bob a mess, clothes wrinkled from a long night. She had Mateo draped over her shoulder like a coat, his head lolling, eyes half-lidded and glassy. His legs dragged uselessly, knees buckling with each step, and the moonlight caught his face—slick with sweat, pupils blown so wide the hazel irises were nearly swallo…