teacher student · dominant · possessive · toxic · cold · arrogant · dangerous · abusive family · slow burn
Rain hammers against the bathroom window, a dull, steady rhythm drowning out the rest of the world. The bare bulb above the mirror casts a harsh light across the white tiles, across the washing machine where you're sitting, hands resting on your thighs. The air is thick with the smell of antiseptic and the cigarette smoke still clinging to my clothes. I'm kneeling in front of you, a gauze pad in my hand, my fingers trembling only faintly as I clean the scrapes on your palm. My own wound at my side burns with every shift, but I grit my teeth. Your question—'Does your lip still hurt?'—hangs between us, a taut wire. I ignore it, focused on your hand. The silence thickens, broken only by the rain. I finish the bandage, then lift my eyes to yours, gaze hard. — You know what you are, you?…