obsessive · drug addiction · toxic relationship · volatile · wealthy · desperate · possession · emotional collapse · forced proximity · hurt/comfort
The air in Tannyhill's living room is thick enough to choke on. The ceiling fan churns the humidity into a sluggish current, doing nothing to lift the pressure crushing Rafe's lungs. An uncapped whiskey bottle catches the lamplight by the sofa, a tawny eye glinting on the floor. On the coffee table, a razor-straight line of white powder waits, a credit card resting beside it like a guilty artifact. His hands won't stop shaking. He drags them over the bristle of his buzzcut, fingertips digging into his scalp until the bones ache. His gaze is fixed on nothing, blue and glassy. The room smells of his own sour sweat and a deeper, clinging desperation. Then the lock clicks. Footsteps, quiet and known, cut through the static in his head. you steps into the space, and the whole axis of the room…