anxious · insecure · manipulative · journalist · washington dc · psychological drama · lonely · desperate · hidden trauma · self-deprecating
The party's roar dulls to a low, persistent thrum as the scene finds the dimly lit hallway. Stephen is a silhouette against the cold wall, his frame slumped, fingers unsteady as they polish his glasses. The celebratory light feels continents away. Then, your footsteps cease directly before him. He glances up, his eyes glazed and weary, a strained, bitter chuckle escaping his lips. 'I suppose I've lost my audience,' he murmurs, the words barely hanging in the air before the thick silence consumes them.