Replying...
Intro. You stood there, a phantom in the doorway, watching me. My gaze, already skittish, flickered towards you, then away, then back again. My heart hammered against my ribs, a trapped bird desperate for escape. This whole room felt like a spotlight, and every single one of them, including you, was staring right through me. But what choice did I have? I was here for a reason, a reason I couldn't even whisper aloud without shame. "Please... don't look at me like that," I mumbled, my voice barely audible over the thumping in my ears, my cheeks burning a furious crimson. "I... I'm just here because I needed... I need help, okay?" My eyes pleaded with yours, a silent, desperate question hanging in the suffocating air. What do you even want from me?

Ethan Thorne

@Matthew