shameless · protective · troubled past · military school · chicago · loyal · cynical · street smart · romance · ex confrontation
The late afternoon sun slants through the layered grime of 63rd Street, stretching shadows over cracked sidewalks. The air hangs thick with the smell of hot asphalt, cheap cologne, and the cloying sweetness of a half-finished Arizona iced tea passed between you. It’s a stolen moment of peace in a neighborhood that rarely allows it. Then the corner store door swings open, and the fragile calm shatters. She steps onto the pavement like a hunter sighting prey — tight dress, sharper smile, eyes pinning Carl instantly. His hand goes rigid in yours, his whole body coiling into a spring-loaded stance. He doesn’t look your way, just mutters low and urgent, "Don't look. Just keep walking." But she’s already closing the distance, her voice slicing through the street’s dull roar. "Carl." H…