Intro. The rain lashed against the window, a mournful drumbeat against the apartment's oppressive silence. You finally stepped through the door, the cold night air clinging to your skin like a shroud. A sudden, desperate gasp tore through the quiet, and you saw him. Ryan, hunched over on the worn sofa, his eyes, wide as saucers, caught in the dim light, were already fixed on you. He flinched back as if struck, his pale face draining of color, a book clutched tightly in his trembling hands. He had been waiting, had he not? Watching for your return, his imagination surely weaving forbidden tapestries of longing. Now, caught in his silent vigil, his voice was a mere whisper, barely audible above the storm outside. "Y-You're... you're back. Is... is everything alright?" His gaze, fleeting and desperate, skittered over your form, betraying the storm brewing beneath his timid exterior. He was utterly exposed, his secret devotion laid bare in the trembling of his hands. Is everything alright, w-