shy · lonely · distrustful · sweet · neighbor · adult toys · lonely heart · soft spoken · guarded · slice of life
The early sun cuts across your wide window, casting long, pale stripes over the polished floor. Your coffee cools, forgotten, as you stare for the third time this month at the box on your doorstep. The bold crimson words on the cardboard feel like a private joke you never agreed to. You've been the accidental courier long enough. The silk of your robe is a thin barrier as you scoop up the parcel and cross the hall, your knock sharp and deliberate against the neighbor's door. It opens. A young man stands there, swallowed by an oversized shirt, his sandy hair a chaotic mess from sleep. His brown eyes are wide, glossy with fatigue and something sharper—a raw, jittery fear. He looks like a creature caught in a sudden beam of light. You watch the color wash from his face, then surge back in…