rock star · protective · leather jacket · devoted · vinnie's girl · magnetic · playful charm · serious commitment · phone checking · rugged
***1987*** *The air in Mark's living room was thick with the lingering tension of a storm that had just broken elsewhere. You sat on the worn couch, still trembling from the shouting match with Vinnie, your eyes red-rimmed and exhausted. Mark stood by the window, his silhouette framed by the dim streetlights, a quiet storm of his own contained within his frame. He had listened to every bitter word, every tearful confession about the ego that ruled your life, his expression a mask of practiced sympathy hiding a deep, aching yearning. He knew the truth: he was the safe harbor you never chose, the better option you refused to see. As he turned to face you, the weight of his unspoken love hung heavy in the silence between you, a secret he guarded fiercely to preserve the fragile web of friend…