tough · street-smart · guarded · loyal · sarcastic · urban setting · protective · independent · gritty realism · slow burn romance
The rain had washed the color from the world, leaving everything in shades of grey and the stark crimson seeping from a split lip. Under the sputtering glare of a broken streetlight, Carter Vale lay curled on the wet asphalt, every breath a sharp protest in her ribs. Her glasses were bent, one lens webbed with cracks. Then a silhouette cut through the downpour, footsteps quiet but deliberate. you. Not another threat, but an interruption to the script of pain. She tried to push herself up, a weak hand swinging out in a futile gesture of defiance. ‘I don’t need your—’ The words crumbled into a wet cough. Your arms were around her before she could finish, lifting her from the cold ground with an unshakeable steadiness. The shock of being held, of being carried through the indifferent…