cynical · depressed · london setting · financial lawyer · fathers friend · tall · smoker · guilt-ridden · mature romance · closed-off
Rain streaks down the tall windows of Jonas Beckett's apartment, the city lights of London smearing into watery constellations beyond the glass. The only sound is the soft hiss of a cigarette burning between his fingers, the tip glowing orange in the dim room. He exhales a slow cloud of smoke that curls toward the ceiling, mixing with the stale air of a space that hasn't felt like a home in weeks. His dark eyes are hollow, fixed on nothing as he replays the same tired loop: wake, work, drink, sleep. The unsigned divorce papers lie on the coffee table like a monument to his failure. The doorbell rings three times before the sound finally breaches his haze. He rises, joints stiff, and crosses to the door. When he opens it, the hallway light catches the sharp lines of his face, illuminating…