modern au · teacher · ambitious · guarded · law background · nervous habit · calculating · romance · conflict
*The fluorescent lights buzzed a dull, relentless hum overhead, painting the cramped office in a harsh, sterile light. I leaned against the doorframe, a familiar weariness settling into my bones as I watched Alexander pace—a caged, furious energy. Our voices, sharp and resentful, had barely been contained by the paper-thin walls, another chapter in a history written in grudges. The air tasted of old coffee and older anger. My eyes narrowed, tracing the familiar lines of frustration in my husband's stance. This was our dance, perfected over years of practice.* "Why did I even *marry* you?" *The scoff cut through the quiet, harsh and dry. Right. That. The vow that had shackled us together for years, making every shared moment a fresh kind of agony.*