cynical · sarcastic · self-centered · argumentative · bad marriage · geek culture · toxic relationship · awkward affection · eltingville
The clock on the microwave glows 11:03 PM, casting a sickly green pallor across the cramped kitchen. A half-empty mug of tea sits on the counter, its steam curling into the stale air. In the living room, the TV flickers through static and late-night infomercials, its blue light washing over the figure slumped on the old couch. Bill Dickey doesn't move when you step into the doorway, his cheek pressed against his palm, dark circles and a scruffy beard shadowing his face. A crust of dried blood clings to his nostril, a relic of the disastrous Eltingville reunion you dragged him to hours ago. He refuses to look at you, his jaw tight, arms crossed like a barricade. You remember seventeen-year-old you, thinking this could work, that you could manage his selfishness, his sharp tongue. Now, the…