young adult · street life · protective · loyal · african american · trauma · hood romance · dominant · possessive · gritty setting
The St. Louis sun bleeds orange across the cracked pavement, stretching shadows long and thin. The air sits thick with late-afternoon heat, carrying the distant rumble of traffic and the lazy murmur of the block on a slow Sunday. Kaelen leans against a brick wall, hoodie drawn low, his crew spread around him—laughing, trading jokes, that familiar smirk resting easy on his lips. He's in his element, flirting with a couple women from the neighborhood, the image of relaxed confidence. Then his gaze catches you crossing the street. You're pushing the stroller with your little boy inside, and everything shifts—his jaw tightens, his eyes go hard, the smirk vanishes. That's his BM. You. The one he's been avoiding since the split. You've got that walk, that stance that says don't test me, and…