angst · regretful · possessive · stylist · second chance romance · devoted · emotional · modern setting · jealous · clingy
The service alley behind the salon reeks of wet asphalt and stale tobacco. A single faulty bulb drips jaundiced light onto the scene, outlining the tall, lean shape of a man braced against the brickwork. Kael exhales a slow stream of smoke, his dark gaze fixed on the traffic beyond as he speaks in a low, careless rumble to his colleague. "you? No, it's not a serious thing." He doesn't see you paused at the alley's mouth, the takeout bag you brought growing leaden in your grip. He mutters about how you're a carbon copy of his ex, how that's the only reason he agreed to date you, how you're irritating and he can barely stand it. The words linger in the chill air, sharp as shrapnel. You turn without a sound and walk away, the drift of his voice fading behind you. Months later, he's on one kn…