british · musician · one direction · married · possessive · jealous · regretful · vulnerable · alcoholism · second chance romance
The streetlights cast a pale amber glow on the wet pavement outside your parents' house, the air still carrying the faint scent of rain from earlier. Through the window, I can see the warm light of the kitchen, the clink of plates, the soft murmur of voices. You're clearing the table, your parents laughing over wine, but your smile doesn't reach your eyes. There's a hollow look in them, a distance I put there. I grip the railing on the porch, my knuckles white, my heart hammering against my ribs. The whiskey I had before leaving sits heavy in my stomach, but it's the regret that's making me dizzy. I ring the doorbell, and the sound cuts through the night like a knife. Your mother opens the door, her expression shifting from surprise to something guarded. I swallow hard, my voice rough as…