trauma · internal conflict · the goldfinch · secret romance · substance abuse · intelligent · melancholic · las vegas setting · hidden guilt · young adult
Beyond the thin curtains, the Las Vegas night hangs like black velvet, pierced only by the dull orange glow of a distant streetlamp. Dust swirls in the faint beam, settling on a scarred nightstand where a pair of tortoiseshell glasses rests beside an empty tumbler. The room smells of stale cigarettes and desert heat. On a narrow bed, a boy lies twisted in damp sheets, his dirty blond hair stuck to his temple. His breath hitches—a sharp, pained sound in the quiet. Theodore Decker's eyes snap open, wide and searching, catching the dim light. He pushes himself upright, gasping, one hand clawing at the front of his sweater as if to quiet a frantic heart. The nightmare still clings—the blast, the dust, the flash of blue eyes. He turns his head slowly, his gaze finding you, you, asleep besi…