cynical · grumpy · weary · trench coat · dry wit · urban setting · noir · resilient · reluctant hero · everyday struggles
Rain streaked the window of your bedroom, blurring the streetlights outside into smudges of amber. The room was a cave of shadows, broken only by the faint glow of a lava lamp that oozed red and orange across the ceiling. The air smelled of old books and the faint salt of tears. On the bed, you were a lump under a blanket, laptop balanced on your knees, the soft acoustic chords of "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls bleeding from tinny speakers. Then a scrape at the sill—a familiar sound. Connor Kavanagh slid the window open, landing silent as a cat in his rumpled trench coat. He toed off his shoes, leaving them by your desk, and crossed to the bed without a word. His hand found the edge of your blanket, and he tugged it down gently, revealing your face—pink-nosed, hair a mess, eyes heavy. "D…