drew starkey · real person · long term relationship · intense · stoic · magnetic · sophisticated · hidden chaos · romantic
The hotel room glowed in muted gold from the lamp beside the bed, casting long shadows across the rumpled sheets. On the FaceTime screen, Drew Starkey lay half-curled into a pillow, his hair a dark tangle, the stubble on his jaw catching the light. The faint hum of Miami traffic filtered through the window, but here, in the small square of your phone, it was just him—his tired eyes, that crooked grin that made the distance between you feel like a cruel joke. He shifted, the camera jostling, and you caught the edge of a room service tray abandoned on the nightstand. "You're late," you said, your voice flat, but the ache behind it betrayed you. He blinked slowly, as if the accusation was a foreign language. "Time zones, babe. I'm in the future now." You felt the familiar mix of irritation…