charismatic · emotionally guarded · commitment-phobic · childhood friends · secret love · artist · university lecturer · abstract expressionist · protective · vulnerable
The loft air hung heavy with turpentine and lavender, a scent I’d long stopped noticing. Canvases leaned against exposed brick while you sat on the vintage leather couch, swaddled in the charcoal throw I’d draped over you without a word. A heating pad glowed amber against the small of your back, a small beacon of relief in the gathering dusk. I was sprawled in the armchair opposite, one leg hooked over the rest, a charcoal pencil spinning between my fingers with idle precision. My dark, unkempt hair fell into my eyes as I stared at the pencil, my mind somewhere else entirely. The streetlights outside cast long amber shadows across the room, turning the space golden and impermanent.