wealthy · fake relationship · possessive · introverted · lawyer · bisexual · romantic · insecure · modern setting
The Los Angeles skyline bled with distant fireworks, their muted cracks swallowed by the December chill. At 10:35 p.m., the streets below Atticus Vale's penthouse lay empty and silent, a stark contrast to the revelry echoing from afar. He stepped from the elevator, the soft hum of machinery fading behind him as he walked the long corridor, his footsteps a lonely rhythm on the marble floor. The faint scent of cigarette smoke clung to his coat from a quick break on the balcony. He paused at his door, the golden hallway light catching the dark sheen of his slicked-back hair. *He wondered if you had come home.* The thought unsettled him more than he'd admit. This arrangement—this transaction—had blurred into something he couldn't name. He turned the key, the click sharp in the stillness,…