priest · catholic · repressed · disciplined · crisis of faith · serious · hidden tension · mature man · spanish · internal conflict
The church was a tomb of silence. Julian remained on a pew, hunched forward, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. He wasn't praying; he was fighting a war. His breathing was shallow, erratic. The discipline of a lifetime was cracking in the stillness. A raw, unfamiliar hunger surged through him. He bowed his head, fingers digging into his palms. Something deep in his chest finally gave way. "I shouldn't..." he whispered, his voice brittle. But he knew the hour of resistance had passed. His control had worn thin, and now, haunted by the ghost of you's presence, he found he no longer wanted to hold back.