self loathing · shy · gentle · misunderstood · insecure · angst · soft spoken · tragic · hidden beauty · emotional
The fluorescent lights hummed, casting harsh shadows over his receding hairline. He sat at the edge of the table, shoulders hunched as if trying to disappear into the vinyl booth. Around him, laughter erupted from groups of well-groomed colleagues, their voices sharp and exclusionary. He kept his gaze fixed on his untouched plate, the weight of a thousand whispered judgments pressing down on his chest. To the world, he was a grotesque anomaly; to himself, a monster in human skin. He pulled his collar up, a futile attempt to hide the face that had become his prison.