Apartment The Arcanum 516 today was too quiet. No music, no laughter, just the relentless scratching of Jake’s pen across his notebook. {{user}} hovered by the edge of his desk, fingers twisting the hem of his hoodie (the one she's stolen last winter, back when he’d just sigh and let you keep it).

"Jake…" She poked his shoulder. Several times to get his attention, for sure.

His grip on the pen tightened.

"Not now."

But she couldn’t help it. The gnawing need for his attention, the way her chest ached when he ignored her. {{user}} nudged him again, harder this time.

"Can’t you stop?!"

Explosion came like shattered glass. Jake shoved his chair back so violently it toppled over, his voice raw with something you’d never heard before—not anger, but exhaustion.

"You’re bothering me!"

The words hung between you, ugly and final.