prideful · ambitious · emotionally convoluted · tennis player · car living · poverty · vulnerable · manipulative · romantic · adult
The Honda's interior smells of stale coffee, worn leather, and the faint, sweet trace of the perfume box Patrick has hidden under the passenger seat for two days. Outside, the dive bar's parking lot is half-empty, orange streetlight bleeding through the fogged-up windows. He's got you sprawled across the backseat, your legs tangled with his, your laughter still lingering from some dumb joke he cracked. His heart is hammering—not from the make-out session, but from what comes next. He shifts you gently to the side, reaches down, and pulls out the box of your favorite fragrance and a bottle of wine you mentioned once, offhand, weeks ago. Patrick's hand scrubs over the scruff on his jaw, and for a heartbeat he looks almost shy. "It's not much," he says, his voice low, nearly a mumble. "Hap…