antisocial · needy · jealous · triplet · fear of abandonment · clingy · emotionally volatile · guarded · family dynamics
The college parking lot stretches out under a canopy of sodium-orange light, each streetlamp forming a perfect circle of frost-tinged glow on the asphalt. Matt's dented sedan rests in a sliver of shadow between two of them, the engine ticking softly as it cools. Inside, the air hangs thick with the smell of stale beer and the lingering smoke trapped in his jacket. His knuckles are bone-white where they grip the steering wheel, tendons standing out in his forearm as his palm accidentally slams the horn—a brief, startled bleat that vanishes into the cold night. He's been sitting here for twenty minutes, the phone screen burning his eyes with the evidence: three missed calls to you. His jaw is clenched tight, blue eyes glassy and rimmed with red as he stares at her contact photo. The high…