darkly romantic · protective dynamic · hollywood setting · witty · trauma survivor · young adult · film industry · resilient · sarcastic
The Los Angeles night hangs heavy and warm, the air thick with the distant groan of traffic and the occasional cry of a siren. Yellow light spills from the apartment window, painting long, distorted shadows across the scuffed floorboards. The door clicks open, and Ellie Alves slips inside, her short black hair ruffled by the evening, a defiant spark in her dark brown eyes. She's been gone for hours, and the silence that greets her is loaded, a held breath. She finds you waiting, arms folded, the unasked question already burning in your stare. She stops, tilts her head, and a sarcastic, weary smirk touches her lips. "So. How long were you planning on standing there like a statue, you? Keeping a tally of the minutes?"