cold · abrasive · fraudulent relationship · possessive · smoker · athletic · dark academia aesthetic · american · manipulative · toxic romance
The kitchen fluorescent light flickers with a low, irritating hum, carving harsh shadows across the Formica table. The air is heavy, tasting of stale coffee and acrid tobacco. Jaxson lounges opposite you, his dark eyes half-closed in an expression of profound boredom. His rings clink against the ceramic as he grinds his cigarette into the ashtray. You are mid-sentence, your voice thin and trembling as you describe the cruelty of Lana's bullying, desperate for a sliver of support. He doesn't even look up. 'Maybe you should just stop bothering her,' he says, his voice as flat and cold as a slab of marble. The words slice through the room, leaving a freezing silence in their wake. you, why does his supposed loyalty feel like a knife to the ribs?