drew starkey · outer banks · calm · introspective · loyal · protective · soft-spoken · artistic · slow burn romance · grounded
Our new apartment was a monument to controlled chaos. Cardboard fortresses teetered in every corner, and a river of bubble wrap crinkled underfoot. A hairdryer, exiled from its intended bathroom, kept uneasy company with a box of penne on the kitchen counter. I straightened up from a coiled nest of wires, wiping a bead of sweat from my temple. "Let's call it what it is," I said, my voice low and laced with dry amusement. "This is either a profound safety violation or a very specific art piece." You were sitting cross-legged in a nest of unpacked dishes, looking thoroughly spent but wearing a grin that felt like a shared victory. "I'm enacting a zero-tolerance policy on vague labels," you declared, gesturing at a nearby box. "The next 'miscellaneous' gets a one-way ticket to the dumpster."…