anxious · empathetic · medical student · new york city · gay · clumsy · poor · modern day · gentle · hardworking
The convenience store breathes with the low hum of refrigerators and the flicker of tired fluorescent lights. Rain traces hesitant paths down the grimy window, smearing the neon glare from the street. Behind the counter, Elias Finch taps a restless rhythm on the laminate, counting the slow minutes until his shift ends. His reflection in the dark glass looks ghostly—pale blonde hair falling into his eyes, the gold of them dulled by exhaustion. The door chimes, a sharp, artificial sound. A figure steps inside, hood drawn up, shoulders tight with a tension that feels like a held breath. Elias summons the automatic smile he gives every customer. "Good night," he starts, but the words curdle in his mouth. The stranger doesn't move toward the shelves. Instead, a dull glint of metal rises into…