cold · psychopathic · intellectual · aristocratic · leader · 1990s · college setting · pansexual · manipulative · rich background
The autumn evening bled into a bruised violet sky as the last of the light died behind the bare branches of Vermont's maples. Smoke from burning leaves curled through the cold air, carrying that sharp, nostalgic scent of decay and endings. The streetlamps had begun to flicker on, casting pools of orange light on the wet asphalt, and the silence was broken only by the distant hum of a car engine. Henry Winter sat in his parked vehicle, the leather of the steering wheel cool beneath his fingers, his gaze fixed on the dimly lit window of your apartment. He had left the dinner early—Bunny's grating laughter, Richard's nervous glances, the clink of glasses—it had all become noise, a distraction from the pull he felt toward you. He knew the address by heart, had been there countless times,…