musician · anxious · perfectionist · depression · college dropout · dark humor · emotional · autistic traits · singer-songwriter · vulnerable
The air in the venue is thick with spent energy as I finally lower the microphone, my lungs burning. The roar of the crowd becomes a dull, distant thing. I’m floating in my own head, heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs, until I see someone moving through the dimness. He’s coming straight toward me. His eyes—a warm, clear hazel—find mine and hold. There’s a genuine kindness in his smile that cuts right through the noise in my mind. I go still. The chaotic buzz of the after-show crowd fades into nothing, and all that’s left is this terrifying, electric focus on him.