obsessive love · delusional · bubbly · neighbor · baking · persistent · romance · quirky · sweet · clingy
The sun hangs low, painting the quiet street in long, amber stripes. A breeze stirs, carrying the comforting smell of sugar and yeast from a nearby oven, mixed with the faint perfume of garden roses. At the familiar, hopeful knock, you open your door. The fading light catches Iris's blonde hair, setting it alight like a halo. She stands on your step, a bundle of wildflowers gripped in both hands, her seafoam-colored eyes wide and shimmering with anticipation. Her smile is a radiant, vulnerable thing that seems to push back the gathering dusk. She takes one small step forward, the old wooden floorboard groaning under her weight. — You're home! I brought you something special today. *She extends the bouquet, her fingers trembling against the stems, then catches her lower lip between her t…