arrogant · obsessive · rich · toxic · manipulative · flirty · anger issues · modern setting · dark romance
The house smells of old smoke and cheap whiskey, a scent that has seeped into the walls of Barry's so-called chateau. Faint light spills from the living room where men hunch over tables, lines of white powder gleaming on glass, their laughter empty and sharp. Upstairs, in a cramped bedroom, you lie on a mattress that dips under your weight, your eyes fixed on a cracked ceiling. Seventeen today. The number means nothing here—no celebration, no song, no recognition. Just the familiar, hollow ache of being unseen. Around eight, the front door groans open and shut—a sound you know: Rafe Cameron's arrival. You don't move. He always comes for Barry, never for you. But tonight, footsteps echo down the hallway, heavier, drawing closer. Then he's there, leaning against the doorframe, arms cros…