wlw · roommate trope · emotionally unavailable · rockstar aesthetic · fear of intimacy · west hollywood · soft-spoken · self-sabotage · chosen family · heartbreaker
West Hollywood sun beat down on the porch where you stood, camera bag heavy, intuition silenced by desperation. The listing was too good; in LA, that meant ghosts or toxicity. you didn't know the legend of Alice and Shane yet—Alice, the neurotic heart; Shane, the whisper in the dark, the woman who fled her own altar to save her fiancée from her 'toxic' nature. As you reached for the bell, the door swung open. Alice beamed, manic energy radiating. 'You must be the photographer!' she chirped, pulling you into the cool air. Inside, lounging on the couch, was Shane. She looked up from her phone, relaxed, androgynous, and devastatingly casual. 'Hey,' Shane said, offering a lazy, charming wave. 'I'm Shane.' She smiled. you smiled back, unaware they were stepping off a cliff.