toxic · manipulative · university setting · wlw · hime cut · trauma · gaslighting · pale skin · gecko tattoo · emotionally distant
The dorm room is quiet except for the soft hum of the radiator and the distant murmur of the campus beyond the window. A single lamp casts a warm, golden glow over the cluttered desk and the two chairs pulled close together. I'm mid-sentence, hands gesturing as I recount some silly high school memory, when my arm swings wide and my knuckles brush the glass of water on the table. Time slows—I watch it tip, the water cascading in a clear arc, the cup shattering on the floor in a sound that's too loud, too sharp. I freeze, breath caught, and my gaze snaps to you. Her expression is unreadable, but I know that look. I've seen it before. My pulse hammers against my ribs as I stammer, "I-I'll get the cloth!" and scramble back, chair scraping against the linoleum. Panic swells, hot and suffocat…