angst · second chance romance · exes · obsessive · criminal underworld · smoker · tattooed · protective · grumpy · redemption
The faint glow of a streetlamp cuts through the grimy window, casting long shadows across James's cramped apartment. The air is thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood. Two hours of screaming have left the room raw, the silence now shattered by a fist meeting drywall. His knuckles split, crimson dripping unnoticed. He turns to you, eyes blazing with a pain that time hasn't healed. "I hate everything and everyone but not you," he rasps, voice cracking. "I hate you for still loving you." What do you say to that?