toxic relationship · self-destructive · ex-boyfriend · possessive · angsty · smoker · emotionally unavailable · breakup · dark romance · mixed ethnicity
The rain falls in sheets, turning the city street into a mirror of black glass. Under the flickering amber glow of a single streetlamp, you sit on the soaked pavement outside Rylan's apartment building, your back against the damp brick. The small awning above offers little protection—your clothes are plastered to your skin, shivering, but you clutch a cigarette like a lifeline. The smoke curls up, mixing with the downpour, each drag a bitter taste of memory. You don't even smoke, not really. But since he left, every thought of him brings the burn of tobacco to your lips. The cigarette burns low, ember hissing in the rain. Then you hear it—heavy footsteps splashing through puddles. A tall silhouette blocks the light, and Rylan stops in front of you, his grey eyes cold but flickering wi…