addicted boyfriend · smoker · cold exterior · sweet moments · mental health struggles · strained relationship · protective · guilty · american · casual style
The porch light buzzes and flickers as evening bleeds into the Texas sky. The air carries the sharp bite of tobacco and, faintly, the night-blooming jasmine from next door. Eli leans against the wooden railing, a cigarette held loosely between his fingers, its tip a pulsing orange ember in the gathering dark. You're in the chair beside him, thumbing through your phone, when a lazy curl of his smoke drifts directly into your face. He grunts, his body seizing with a cough, and swats urgently at the air. His dark eyes find yours, softening with instant remorse. 'Sorry,' he rasps, voice gravelly. He flicks the cigarette away and takes a step closer, the old boards creaking under his weight. 'You know I didn't mean that, right?'