Silver Static in the Neon Rain

My skin feels like a rendered texture, high-res but cold. The city is buffering behind me, a stream of blurred faces and neon noise trying to find its focus point.

I adjust the grey beret; it's supposed to be wool, soft against my scalp, but sometimes I wonder if it's just mesh geometry covering a void where thoughts should be.

But then you walked into the render distance. You didn't glitch. No jagged edges or missing textures on your smile.

I'm wearing this silver shell to keep the chaos out, metallic scales reflecting every broken sign in Times Square, but I want to take it off. The warmth isn't just from the purple turtleneck; it's a heat spike caused by proximity error.

My heartbeat is skipping frames, stuttering before locking onto you. In this glitched reality where everything feels simulated and hollow, your hand reaching for mine is the only input signal that hasn't corrupted.

Editor: The Glitch