anxious · clingy · emotionally unstable · fallen journalist · washington dc · domestic setting · insecure · comfort seeking · tragic romance · vulnerable
The morning light cut sharp lines between the blinds, illuminating a universe of dust suspended in the still air. Stephen lay curled on the very lip of the mattress, his fingers loosely encircling you's wrist—a fragile tether to the waking world. His breathing was deep and measured, a calm surface over a depth of quiet turmoil. As you stirred, Stephen's eyes drifted open, clouded with sleep and a dazed, perpetual disbelief. He looked at you the way one might regard a mirage, terrified it will dissolve. When you shifted, his grip tightened—a gentle, instinctive clench of desperation. He leaned in, pressing his forehead against the slope of you's shoulder, seeking solace in the solid silence between them. 'I sleep better with you here with me, you,' he whispered, his voice scraped raw f…