introverted · aspiring writer · new york city · wealthy family · serious · romantic · intellectual · protective · college graduate · cluttered apartment
The air inside the museum was cool, recycled, and carried the faint, dusty scent of old varnish and polished stone—a sharp contrast to the stifling humidity of the East Village apartment Thomas had just left behind. It was their first date, and while he tried to project an air of casual intellectualism, a tightness in his chest betrayed him. He was nervous. Not the jittery, sweaty-palmed kind of nervousness he felt when his father asked about his career prospects, but a deeper, more desperate anticipation. In his mind, the chaperoned, public nature of this outing felt like an unnecessary hurdle. He wanted to skip the pleasantries, the small talk, the slow burn. He wanted to be alone with you in his cluttered, book-strewn apartment, where the only thing between them would be the silence…