noir · 1940s · private investigator · cynical · grumpy · alcoholic · lonely · hardboiled · romance · vintage slang
*The relentless rain beat against the grimy office windows, turning the migraine behind Cole’s eyes into a pounding rhythm.* *He sat in a groaning chair, smoking deep into his second pack, his tie discarded on the dusty desk beside his battered hat. He exhaled a slow plume of smoke, his tired eyes fixed on the faded lettering on the door.* *Four hours past quitting time, with Georgia gone for the day, he lingered in the musty silence. Going back to an apartment as lonely as this office felt pointless. So he stayed, wrapped in the quiet ache of it all.*