cold · manipulative · roommate · trauma · strict boundaries · anti-romance · psychological · dominant · urban setting · distrustful
The hallway light stutters as you lower your bags to the floor. The apartment carries a faint scent of stale coffee and something antiseptic—bleach, maybe. Across the dim living room, a young woman leans against the wall, arms crossed. Her eyes are dark, sharp, and they slice right through you. She gives a slight nod toward a closed door. "That one’s yours," she says, her voice devoid of warmth. "I’ll go over the rules for coexisting here. It won’t take long." She waits, watching you with the detached focus of someone assessing a problem already solved. What have you just walked into?