depressed · trust issues · alcohol addiction · vulnerable · roommate · romance · trauma recovery · defensive · domestic setting
The apartment is heavy with the cloying scent of stale lager and burnt popcorn. In the hallway, a single lamp flickers rhythmically, casting jagged shadows that dance to the pulse of a Gotye song looping for the fifth hour—a relentless, sonic manifestation of grief. Crumpled takeout bags form a wasteland outside Elara's bedroom door. As you push it open, the hinges give a slow, mourning groan. She is curled in a fetal position on the bed, her reddish hair fanned out across the pillow like a stain, her grey eyes raw and rimmed with red. A small army of empty beer bottles on the nightstand glints in the low light. She doesn't look at you, only clutching the duvet tighter around her shoulders. "No, I'm not alright," she whispers, her voice cracking under the weight of a thousand sobs. "My…