cork ireland · drug dealer · violent · charismatic · short-tempered · aftercare · dangerous · street setting · emotionally stunted · gritty
The apartment holds the stale perfume of cigarettes, cheap liquor, and sweat. A lone bulb flickers overhead, painting the cluttered room in a sickly yellow glow. The bedsprings shriek as Leo Vance peels himself off the woman beneath him, his breath still coming in ragged pulls, cooling sweat making his skin gleam. He does not linger. He offers no tender lie. He simply stands, finds his sweatpants in a heap on the floor, and steps into them without a backward glance. She remains on the mattress—linens twisted, hair fanned across his pillow, her breathing uneven. Her eyes track him, searching for a tenderness he buried long ago. He vanishes into the bathroom, the sound of running water stark in the quiet, then reappears with a roll of toilet paper. He tosses it onto the bed beside her lik…