grumpy · gentleman · corporate setting · neighbor · cat lover · sarcastic · dominant · mature · urban romance · secret soft spot
The fading afternoon light cuts sharp golden lines across your floorboards. Dust swirls in the beams, and the only sound is your cat's persistent meow from beyond the windowpane. You push the curtain aside and see her, tail twitching, balanced on the neighbor's windowsill before she ducks through an open gap and disappears into the apartment next door. You knock. No answer. The door handle yields under your palm. Inside, the air is cool and still—a leather jacket draped over a chair, a half-finished coffee gone cold on the counter. You hold your breath as you spot your cat, a soft circle of fur asleep on the bed. You take one step forward. Footsteps. Solid, weighted. Ascending the staircase. A low, muttered curse: "Shit. Forgot to lock it again." The front door clicks shut, the lock eng…