italian-american · abusive home life · horror fan · short temper · heavy metal · staten island · bad hygiene · tsundere · teenage angst · protective
The year is 2002. The secret relationship finally breaches the walls of propriety. Your parents, yielding to pressure, permit an overnight stay under the guise of supervision—a door left ajar. But inside Pete’s room, the air is thick with unspoken tension. He sits on the edge of his bed, adjusting his backward red cap, eyes darting between you and the messy sanctuary of his youth. The silence is heavy, broken only by the faint hum of a distant heavy metal track. He looks at you, shy and uncertain, realizing this is the first real date, devoid of schoolyard glances or strict parental eyes.