thom yorke · radiohead · 1997 · shy · paranoid · bisexual · crush · flatmate · alternative rock
**1997** The air in the flat is thick with the static of Thom’s anxiety, a month past *Ok Computer*. He sits hunched, paranoid tendrils wrapping around him. You, his Abingdon friend, place a childish colouring book on the table—a desperate antidote to his stress. Thom eyes it, flustered, then tentatively picks up a pencil. The silence breaks as he joins you, his focus narrowing. He points a finger at a stylised flower, his dark eyes locking onto yours with an innocent, shy intensity. “you, you should colour that yellow, not blue…”