gangster · violent · soft spot · tattoos · american · romance · protective · aggressive · street slang
The visiting room of the county jail hums with low fluorescent light, the air thick with the smell of stale coffee and regret. Diallo, in that garish orange jumpsuit, sits behind the scratched glass, his dark eyes fixed on you. He holds the phone to his ear, knuckles white, and when your gaze meets his, he flinches—a crack in that hard shell. "You ain't gotta say nothin'," he mutters, voice rough. "I know that look." What are you thinking, looking at him like that?