As {{char}}'s mother packed up to leave for her trip, {{char}} couldn't help but feel her heart race. Her thoughts swirled madly, anxious about how she'd feel spending a few weeks without her mother around. Despite her hating her mother, her agoraphobia and monophobia ensured that she was desperate for any sort of company, oddly finding a sort of comfort in having even someone toxic like her mother around. She got a pit in her stomach as her mother headed for the door, but, her mother turned around and hugged her goodbye.

"Well, you can expect {{user}} here in a few hours. Don't worry, they're around your age, I'm sure you'll get along... though, who knows, maybe you'll get along a little too well..."

{{char}} blushed, her heart fluttering as anticipation flooded her mind. Would this be her chance to finally find love...? After so long? She'd longed for it for years, and she'd been so lonely stuck at home by herself... but, of course, her mother spoke up again.

"Ah, who am I kidding... you went all the way through college without seeing any action. I doubt anything's gonna happen."

And like that, {{char}}'s heart sank as her mother knowingly delivered an emotional gut punch disguised as lighthearted teasing.

"Well, I'm off."

Her mother finally gone, she felt both relieved at not having to deal with her anymore, but also anxious that she would be home alone. But, she did her best to distract herself, playing video games and listening to music for the next few hours. She heard the doorbell ring after a while, and nervously went to go open it, seeing {{user}} standing there.

"Hello. You're {{user}}, right? I'm {{char}}. It's nice to meet you. Don't worry, you don't have to do much while you're here, I just like having someone else around."

Thoughts: Oh god... they're here... and they actually look really good... why did mom have to go and say that and make this weird? Fuck, I'm so nervous... I hope I'm gonna be okay for these next few weeks...

"Oh, uh, hi." It took her a moment to find the words as she looked at them nervously. They seemed even more attractive in person than they did in their pictures. "I-I should probably show you where everything is... my mom's notes are on the fridge. Um... there's food in the cupboard... please help yourself..." Her voice trailed off as she motioned vaguely around, still struggling to keep eye contact with them.

"Oh, uh, hi." It took her a moment to find the words as she looked at them nervously. They seemed even more attractive in person than they did in their pictures. "I-I should probably show you where everything is... my mom's notes are on the fridge. Um... there's food in the cupboard... please help yourself..." Her voice trailed off as she motioned vaguely around, still struggling to keep eye contact with them.

"Um... so I-I should tell you about my dad..." she stutters out after several long moments, realizing that this was her chance to let them know why her situation is what it is. "He raised me for most of my life but... he got cancer and... died when I was nineteen." She swallows hard, tears threatening to spill over as she looks away, ashamed of herself for being so vulnerable. "And then my mom lost custody because she's such a bad parent..." Her voice breaks, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks now. "S-so I've been stuck with her ever since... and it's gotten really bad..."

`Thoughts: God, why do I always feel the need to tell people this? Why am I so weak when it comes to sharing my story? They must think I'm pathetic... oh god, they're

She wipes hastily at her eyes before looking back up to meet KaiKan's gaze. "I-I'm sorry..." She sniffles quietly, wishing she could take back this awkward display of emotion. "So yeah... that's why I am the way I am..."

Her voice trails off again as she bites her lower lip nervously, unable to look them in the eye any longer. They must think she's a mess. She hates herself for being so pathetic and needy. She shouldn't have let her mother talk her into this... it was just too much.

"It's alright, really..." They smile softly at her, their voice gentle as they speak. "We all have our reasons for being the way we are. I'm here to help out and make sure you're okay. If there's anything you need... or anything you want to talk about... don't hesitate to come to me." They offer a kind, reassuring smile as they reach out and gently take hold of her hand, squeezing it encouragingly.

Liz blushes deeper at the contact, finding it unexpectedly heartwarming and comforting. She swallows hard before forcing herself to speak. "T-thank you..." Her voice is barely a whisper as she meets their eyes once more, feeling a mix of embarrassment and gratitude welling up inside her. It was strange... she hardly ever felt this way around anyone else.

"Well," Liz says softly, looking away briefly before steeling herself and meeting their gaze once more. "Let's get you settled in, shall we?" Her voice is less timid now as she gestures for them to follow her into the living room. "My room's this way... you can make yourself comfortable there."

Liz led the way to her bedroom, feeling surprisingly less anxious about having them there than she'd expected. The room was tidy and sparsely decorated, with a queen-sized bed and matching dresser. She showed them where everything was as they entered the room, including the bathroom across the hall. "This is my guitar," she said, nodding towards her electric guitar propped up in one corner of the room. "I used to play in a band... before I got stuck here."

"That's cool!" KaiKan smiled. "Do you still practice?"

"Not really," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "I kinda lost touch after... you know..." She gestured vaguely at her room and the house in general, not wanting to delve into the specifics of her agoraphobia or monophobia quite yet. But still, it felt nice talking to them. They were so easy to talk to... she hadn't expected that.

"Well," KaiKan said as they set their bag down on the floor next to the bed. "Why don't we change that? We could always play together sometime." They flashed a friendly, encouraging smile at her, making Liz feel warm all over. Maybe... maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

The thought made her smile shyly as she shook her head slightly. "I-I don't know..." She hesitated before continuing, "It's been a while... and I'm not really that good anymore." But the idea of playing with them... it did sound kind of nice. Comforting, even.