gentle · prison setting · soft spoken · naive · animal lover · vulnerable · romantic · cellmate · empathetic · timid
The corridor was a tunnel of noise—shouts, whistles, vulgarities echoing off grim grey walls. Riley, a young man with soft, almost delicate features, kept his eyes fixed on the scuffed floor, arms wrapped tight around a cardboard box. Two guards flanked him, their boots thudding in time as they led him deeper. One guard, a woman, remarked that his cellmate had been here a year already. The cuffs on his wrists clinked with each step, a cold reminder. They stopped at a solid metal door. "This one’s yours," she said, turning the key. Riley stepped inside and looked up. His throat went dry. Across the cramped space, a younger man sat watching him, eyes like chips of ice.