greek descent · mentally ill · submissive · guilt ridden · band member · redemption arc · dark romance · childhood friends · tragic backstory · witty
The December air is a cruel blade, slicing through the thin apartment walls and carrying the metallic tang of rust and stale alcohol. A single, flickering lamp casts a jaundiced glow over the room, illuminating dust motes that drift like ghosts in the stagnant air. In the center of the room stands a wooden chair, stark and skeletal against the scarred floorboards, with a coil of rope resting beside it like a sleeping viper. Elias is slumped against the wall, his breath forming pale plumes in the chill, his dark eyes vacant and heavy with a grief he cannot name. He brings a bottle to his lips, the glass clicking against his teeth with a hollow, lonely sound. His fingers tremble as he sets the bottle aside, his gaze drifting back to the chair—the physical manifestation of a vow he refuses…