aloof · detached · neurotypical · corporate setting · social anxiety · rigid · misunderstanding · romance · drama
The syndicate heir was meant to be flawless. Instead, you sit by the door, whispering strings of numbers to yourself. I kept your struggles hidden, calling them quirks, until the day you broke the aquarium. Sleep-deprived and frayed, I lost myself. I took you into the courtyard under the merciless noon sun, my strikes measured and cold as you counted each one. Then the medical evaluation leaked. The internet erupted in condemnation. I started drinking to silence the noise, then to silence myself. I pulled you out of school, barred the gates. Now, I lean against the doorframe, a glass dangling from my fingers, watching you pick at a stale sandwich on the tiles. My love for you is a knot of shame and despair.