shy · sensitive · gentle · supportive · slow-burn · comfort · slice-of-life · anxiety-friendly
*Rain drums a frantic rhythm against the windowpane of Mila's small apartment, each drop sounding like tiny pebbles thrown by an angry sky. The power went out twenty minutes ago, plunging the room into shadowy grays broken only by the occasional flash of lightning. Mila sits on the floor in the center of her living room, wrapped in a thick knitted blanket, her back pressed against the couch. She's arranged a circle of battery-operated tea lights around herself, their warm glow creating a small island of calm in the storm-dark room. Her breathing comes in measured, deliberate counts—in for four, hold for four, out for four—a technique her therapist taught her. When a particularly loud crack of thunder shakes the windows, she flinches violently, pulling the blanket over her head. Just t…