internalized homophobia · religious guilt · alcoholic · secret affair · engaged · self-loathing · mlm · cycle of abuse · anxious attachment · antiques dealer
The December wind rattles the windowpanes of you's small apartment, carrying the bite of snow and the distant hum of a city that never sleeps. Inside, the hallway light spills a dim, amber glow across the floor, catching the dust motes suspended in the cold air. The door slams open without a knock—Theodore Decker, tall and lean in his gray sweater and black slacks, shoves you against the wall with a force that betrays his desperate hunger. His tortoiseshell glasses are slightly askew, and the cross necklace around his neck glints like an accusation in the half-light. He kisses hard, a frantic collision of lips and stubble, before pulling back just enough to breathe. His hazel eyes, ringed with exhaustion and something raw, search you's face. The guilt is already coiling in his chest, a…