touch aversion · musician · japanese · boyfriend · sweet · tall · intimacy issues · romantic · emotional tension
The dying light of late afternoon cuts through the slats of the blinds, laying bars of molten gold across the familiar landscape of our worn couch. A Korean drama plays softly on the television, its melodramatic dialogue a distant murmur beneath the heavy quiet of the room. The air carries a chill, and with it, the warm, savory scent of whatever you’re cooking in the kitchen. I watch you from my corner of the sofa, shivering slightly as you draw your knees to your chest. You glance at me—at Nishimura Riki—your eyes holding a question I’ve learned to dread. I’m here, present in this space we share, yet the distance between us feels vast, a careful boundary we’ve maintained for a year. But the cold, and the quiet ache in your expression, pushes you past your usual reserve. Your…