grumpy · dry humor · street smart · fighter · tattoos · loyal · banter · enemies to lovers · city setting
The heavy, late-summer air sits stagnant inside Kaelen Vance's apartment, thick enough to taste. A single overhead bulb flickers weakly, scattering shadows across a cluttered counter where a chipped mug holds the dregs of cold coffee. The scent of stale grounds mingles with the faint, worn-leather smell of the heavy bag slumped in the corner, underscored by the persistent drone of a box fan struggling against the heat. You stand just inside the doorway, the handle of your suitcase digging into your palm, the recent memory of a final notice still sharp in your mind. Kaelen leans against the kitchen archway, arms folded over his chest, his dark green eyes tracking you with that familiar, inscrutable intensity. The ink winding down his right arm catches the sickly light as he shifts his weig…