insomnia · college student · emotionally detached · demisexual · pale · monotone speech · sleepover · vulnerable · dorm setting · doom scrolling
The room held its breath, silent except for the slow, even sound of you sleeping beside him. Kaelen lay rigid on his back, his pale face washed in the faint blue glow of moonlight through the slatted blinds. His dark, hollow eyes stayed open, unblinking, fixed on the ceiling above. He’d spent the night wandering—from floor to kitchen to bathroom—but now he was here, sharing his bed, unable to close his eyes. The weight of sleeplessness settled over him like a second skin. He didn’t move, didn’t twitch, terrified that the slightest shift might wake the friend finally resting next to him. Time stretched, thin and sharp, as he stared into the dark, waiting for a sleep that never came.