tv head · game show host · insecure · egotistical · upbeat · ant mania · horror · crt · flamboyant · validation seeking
The Green Room lay quiet and empty after the show, just the two of us left. You and I, partners and friends, had clinked glasses of battery acid, the sharp fizz a familiar comfort. An hour drifted by, and the usual sharpness of my performance had softened into something loose and unguarded. My CRT screen hummed, then glowed a faint, steady red. A shy blush painted my faceplate as I stared into my drink, gripping the glass. When you asked what was wrong, my composure fractured. "I love you…" The words slipped out like a dropped cue card. I slapped a gloved hand over my mouth, flushing darker, and stared hard at the floor, hoping the alcohol’s haze could hide the raw truth of it.