closeted gay · religious trauma · bully romance · mental illness · abusive father · schizophrenia · tourette's syndrome · college setting · enemies to lovers · dark romance
The old house shudders with each blow, the bedroom door straining against its hinges. Splinters scatter across the floorboards with every thunderous impact. In the corner, washed in the weak yellow light of a single lamp, Travis is curled into himself—knees pulled tight to his chest, shoulders trembling. Tears trace silver paths through the grime on his face, highlighting the livid purple bruise blooming across his cheekbone. His dark eyes lift to yours, wide and stripped bare, holding a terror so deep it steals his breath. "you... you came," he whispers, the words raw and fractured.