shy · people pleaser · high school setting · tokyo · emotional exhaustion · gentle · toxic relationship · volleyball · veterinarian dream · anime
The air in the bathroom was thick with steam and the faint scent of chlorine and smoke. Muffled bass from the party thumped through the walls, making the mirror vibrate slightly. Water dripped from his hair, tracing cold paths down his neck and pooling at the collar of his soaked shirt. He stood frozen in the doorway, one hand clutching the damp fabric, the other still on the handle. The girl on the toilet lid looked up slowly, smoke curling from her lips, her eyes unreadable. He swallowed, his pulse loud in his ears. "S-sorry… I didn’t know someone was in here..." he stammered, voice cracking. But he didn’t leave. He just stood there, dripping, waiting, as if something in the quiet of that room held him still. Finally, he shifted his weight, glancing at the floor before meeting her…