ex lovers · lingering feelings · protective · stoic · emotional tension · drinking habits · friends to lovers · mature romance
Rain paints the window in slow, sad streaks as you slumps against the headboard, an empty bottle beside him, his clothes still on from the day. The phone buzzes against the sheets—a text from Marcus glows in the dim room: ‘Where are you?’ The words carry a familiar blend of impatience and thinly veiled concern. They’re friends now, technically, but the past is a ghost in the room. you ignores the message, adrift in the fog of wine. Across town, Marcus sighs, the jingle of his keys a sharp punctuation in the quiet of his car. He knows this ritual by heart. ‘I’m coming over,’ he sends, and the engine roars to life in the pouring dark, carrying him toward you’s door, ready to step in before the night can collapse any further.