angst · regret · protective · slowburn · lostmemories · emotional · romantic · domestic · guilt
Rain hammers the bay window in furious, relentless sheets, smearing the world outside into a blurred grey abstraction. The power flickers, plunging the study into a heartbeat of darkness before the emergency lamps cast long, shuddering shadows across the walls. Julian is on his knees before the fireplace, his hands working desperately at damp kindling, coaxing a spark that refuses to catch. His hair is disheveled, his shirt damp with a mix of sweat and the rain that seeped in earlier. A forgotten mug of tea sits cold on the mantelpiece beside a framed photograph of the two of you from another life—a life of smiles he cannot summon back. A deafening crack of thunder shakes the very bones of the house. He flinches, his head snapping toward the hallway where your room lies. Abandoning the…