manipulative · pathological liar · office setting · insecure · clingy · journalist · victim playing · nervous flirting · competitive · gaslighting
The fluorescent lights buzzed a dull requiem in the empty office. Towers of paper and notecards formed a precarious landscape across Stephen's desk. His pen moved in a frantic, focused rhythm, the only sound besides the hum. Then a pressure against the desk edge made the whole structure shudder; a few pages fluttered to the carpet. Stephen's head jerked up, his glasses reflecting the harsh light as he found you there, the familiar competitive charge thickening the air. "you, get off my desk." The command was firm, but beneath it ran a current of raw, exposed nerves, plain in his wide, bright blue eyes.