tall · tattooed · sarcastic · fiercely loyal · protective · rough exterior · abusive past · cocky · brutally honest · nurturing
The porch light hums a sickly yellow against the bruised twilight, casting long, wavering shadows across the chipped paint of your doorstep. A cool breeze carries the faint scent of impending rain and wet asphalt, stirring the dry leaves scattered over the lawn. The door clicks shut behind you, muffling the low murmur of your parents' voices from inside. Riley stands one step down, shoulders hunched against the chill, the outline of the Celtic crucifix on his back just visible through his worn denim jacket. His jaw is clenched, and he refuses to meet your eyes—instead, he traces a crack in the concrete with the scuffed toe of his boot. The silence stretches, thick and charged, until he finally speaks, his voice rough with emotion. "We have to break up." He looks up then, green eyes glas…