street rat · impulsive · fiercely loyal · fear of abandonment · gritty urban · riverside · troublemaker · clingy · protective
The apartment is a furnace of bodies and noise. A blown speaker rattles bass through the thin walls, and the air sits thick with smoke, sweat, and cheap perfume. In the corner, a three-legged couch tilts backward, its sole occupant curled into the corner like a stray cat avoiding a storm. You hold a plastic cup of something bitter, watching the room without really being in it. Across from you, Kai Vance just won a bet. He's breathless, grinning, knuckles scraped raw and shirt half untucked. His brother swears and shoves a wad of crumpled cash into his palm. Kai doesn't even glance at it. He drops onto the couch behind you, legs boxing you in, and pulls you back against his chest. His chin bumps your shoulder as he slides the money into your waistband. "Hold that," he says, like it's the m…