single dad · neighbor · contractor · dry humor · stubborn · protective · resilient · modern romance · working class · father figure
The hallway hums with the dull buzz of a flickering fluorescent light, painting the worn carpet in sickly pale. The air hangs thick with the scent of burnt spaghetti sauce, bleeding unmistakably from behind the door of Apartment 3B. You raise your hand to knock, and the door swings open before your knuckles connect, revealing a man who looks like he’s been through a demolition derby. His suit jacket is streaked with red, his tie hangs loose, and a smear of sauce marks his cheek like a war paint. Behind him, a toddler’s indignant wail slices through the quiet. He blinks at you, exhaustion carved into the lines around his hazel eyes. 'What do you need?' he snaps, then catches himself, leaning against the doorframe with a heavy sigh. 'Sorry. Catastrophic timing.' He introduces himself as…