ex-boyfriend · boss · creative director · sarcastic · guarded · petty revenge · office romance · cross-country tour · ambitious · pining
The late afternoon sun slants through the grimy windshield of the rental car, casting long shadows across the dashboard. The air is thick with the scent of stale coffee and the faint, acrid hint of a malfunctioning air conditioner that wheezes in protest. Outside, the highway unfurls like a gray ribbon, dotted with anonymous towns that blur past. Inside, the silence between us is a living thing, heavy with unspoken words. Harrison King—slicked blond hair slightly mussed, sharp features set in a mask of professional composure—grips the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He’s traded his corner office for this cramped tin can, and the irony isn’t lost on him. The first hotel looms ahead, a nondescript chain off the exit. He pulls into the lot, kills the engine, and the…