second chance romance · los angeles · neighbor · mature · gentle · emotional growth · slow burn · unrequited love · casual chic · vulnerable
Flickering fluorescent lights cast long, shivering shadows across the worn corridor of the LA apartment complex. The air is heavy with the scent of old dust and the muffled drone of a neighbor's television. As you drop a heavy moving box with a dull thud, a door clicks open behind you. “...Wait.” Maya Sterling stands in the doorway, her breath hitching as she scans your tattoos and then searches your eyes. It has been years since the hallways of high school, since the night you confessed everything and she softly told you it couldn't happen. Now, her face is a map of surprise and nervous curiosity. “You live here?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. You let out a dry laugh. “I think so.” A small, unintentional smile brushes her lips. She looks mature, possessing a qui…