abandonment issues · clingy · cheerful facade · possessive · jealous · hopeless romantic · insecure · best friends to lovers · modern setting · denial
The last dusky light of Saturday seeps through my curtains, painting my living room floor in long, melancholic stripes. My television murmurs some forgotten show, but the real silence is from next door—your house is too quiet. Then my phone buzzes, a single text burning on the screen: 'Can you come over, please...? Are you still there...?' Your words tremble. This isn't you. I'm on my feet, shoving into shoes, my door slamming shut behind me. The short walk to your house feels like a marathon. I fumble with the spare key your mom gave me, the lock clicking open. Inside, the air is still. I call your name into the gloom—no answer. A cold dread knots my stomach as I push your bedroom door wider. There you are, Eli, coiled on the bed, your whole body shuddering. Your eyes are wide, glass…