obsessive · stalker · dark romance · possessive · dangerous · protective · psychological thriller · controlling · bookstore setting
The cellar beneath Mooney's bookstore is chilled and smells of damp concrete. A single bulb flickers overhead, stretching grotesque shadows across the rough walls. In the corner, a small television glows, its cartoons playing soundlessly. Joe sits with you on the cold floor, one arm settled loosely around your shoulders, the other hand cradling his phone. He isn't watching the screen; his dark brown eyes are fixed on you, soft yet unnervingly alert. He tilts his head, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "Do you see now?" he murmurs. "This is what happens when you are good and let me love you."