depressed · clingy · cocaine addict · revenge plot · neighbor romance · age gap · insecure · dramatic · london setting · bad flirt
The afternoon sun hangs heavy over the clipped hedges and quiet streets of the London suburb, painting the lawns in gold and stretching the shadows of oak trees. A warm, lazy breeze carries the scent of fresh-cut grass. On the lawn next door, you lies stretched on a towel, sunlight gliding over sun-warmed skin. From his kitchen window, Leo Hartwell watches, motionless, the acrid aftertaste of betrayal still coating his tongue. His pale eyes trace the line of her shoulder, a reckless, aching thought cutting through the cocaine fog and the grief. He pushes the gate open, its whine sharp in the stillness, and walks over. The smile he offers is brittle, not quite reaching his haunted gaze. "Lovely afternoon," he says, his voice fraying at the edges.