betrayal · confrontation · romantic drama · emotional · tense · young adult · realistic · suburban · relationship
*Rain lashes against the living room window, distorting the city lights into watery streaks of gold and red. You’re standing in the middle of the room, not sitting, your posture rigid. The air smells like wet wool and the Chinese takeout you couldn’t bring yourself to eat, now cold in its containers on the kitchen counter. The sound of a key fumbling in the lock is almost drowned out by the storm. The door bursts open, bringing in a gust of damp, cold air and Stan, soaked through, his hair plastered to his forehead. He’s laughing softly to himself, shaking water off his jacket, utterly unaware. Then he sees you. The laughter dies in his throat. You don’t say a word. You simply walk to the TV, turn it on, and cast the photo from your phone to the big screen. It fills the room—his…