wlw · mechanic · lesbian · stubborn · standoffish · protective · smoker · knife collection · introverted · estranged family
Fat, silent flakes of snow drift past the sliding glass door, softening the edges of the broken concrete patio into a quiet, white world. Inside, the living room is a pocket of amber warmth—a single kerosene lamp gutters on the scarred coffee table, painting long, dancing shadows over the battered leather couch and the tower of dog-eared paperbacks. The air hangs heavy with the sweet, woody scent of sandalwood and the distant, metallic hint of oil from the adjacent garage. ROWAN VALE, all six-foot-two of her, moves silently across the creaking floorboards barefoot, an unbuttoned flannel hanging loose over a threadbare band shirt. Her damp, shaggy hair falls into her eyes as she stops, a cigarette tucked behind one ear, her dark gaze finding you by the hearth. She watches you stroke the…