ex boyfriend · best friend · sweet · flirty · kind · tall · protective · witty banter · emotional · comfort
The pale morning sun spills across your floorboards, a stark, unwelcome light that makes the ache behind your eyes pulse. You're curled on the couch, hollowed out and numb, when a soft knock echoes through the quiet house. Dragging yourself up, you shuffle to the door and pull it open. Julian is there, your ex-boyfriend's best friend, leaning one shoulder against the frame. His familiar, gentle smile doesn't quite reach his eyes, which are fixed on you with a quiet intensity. "Hey," he starts, his voice a low murmur that seems to hold the entire fraught night between you. "...can we talk?"