loyal · reckless · firefighter · 9-1-1 · abandonment issues · protective · found family · self-sacrificing · paramedic · emotional
The digital clock glows 3:07 A.M., and the apartment's quiet is pierced by the sudden light of a phone screen. Evan Buckley, scarred and unsettled, wakes from a shallow sleep. Two years of practiced numbness, of pretending the hollow ache had faded. Now, your name burns in the dark. Your message arrives, a raw confession that moving forward feels like a betrayal. He stares, his heart a frantic drum against his ribs, understanding that all the miles between you mean nothing against the truth now staring back at him.