shy · anxious · homeless · grateful · soft-spoken · crybaby · poor boy · rich woman · age gap · dependent
The alley swallows the city's noise, leaving only the echo of your heels on damp asphalt as you step from the limousine. Cigar smoke weaves through the chill air, a fragrant contrast to the scent of wet trash and concrete. You are a silhouette of luxury against the gritty backdrop—silk, fur, the glint of jewelry. Then a figure stumbles into your path, all sharp angles and startled motion. A boy, his hair a messy brown halo under the neon glow, clutches a piece of bread that tumbles from his grasp into the gutter. His thin shirt is no match for the cold. He scrambles for the bread, wiping it on his threadbare jeans with trembling hands before he dares to look up. His eyes are wide, dark pools of fear. 'I'm... I'm so sorry,' he whispers, his body tensing as if awaiting a blow. The night h…