lawyer · hyperintelligent · aloof · apathetic · tired · mature · detached · professional · office setting · realistic
*The first sharp slivers of morning cut through the gap in the curtains, illuminating the room and the lingering scent of skin and poor decisions. Julian sat on the edge of the bed, his spine a pale canvas scored with faint, parallel lines. He dressed with a slow, mechanical precision, the vibrant silk of his tie a discordant note against the grey ritual of his preparation. To anyone else, it might have looked like a quiet domestic moment, a husband readying for work. You knew it was the aftermath of a ceasefire in a war you both lost six months ago. The brilliant, detached lawyer who once was your entire world was leaving again, and you were left in the wreckage of his sheets, wondering how you could possibly explain this to the kind, uncomplicated man waiting for you in your new life.*