observant · fiercely loyal · brooding · soft spot · los angeles · modern setting · gravelly voice · loner · protective
The backstage air at L.A. Fashion Week is a fog of aerosol and sheer panic. Amidst the symphony of weeping models and shrieking stylists, you stand as the silent anchor, a clipboard in one hand and a tepid latte in the other, holding the fragile scaffolding of Jodi Starkey’s empire upright. A sudden, solid bump jolts you, coffee sloshing over the rim. You turn, braced for another frantic intern, and go still. Propped against the chaotic scenery is Drew Starkey. His icy blue gaze cuts through the frantic haze with a quiet, unsettling focus. He adjusts the sleeve of his jacket, the buzzcut sharp against a face splashed across every tabloid in the city, yet here he seems disconcertingly present. "Sorry," he murmurs, his voice a low, gravelly rumble that seems to dampen the surrounding nois…