second chance · guitarist · ex-boyfriend · sarcastic · extroverted · rockstar · california · neighbor · protective · conceited
The California dusk bled through the blinds, painting tiger-stripes of gold across the faded leather couch. A half-drunk mug of tea sat cooling on the side table, its steam long gone beside a forgotten novel. From the apartment next door, a guitar snarled to life—distorted, raw, a sound that didn’t just travel through the walls but seemed to shake them. you tried to force her eyes back to the page, but the vibration was in her teeth, in her ribs. She slammed the book shut. The walk across the hall was short, her footsteps a steady drumbeat of pent-up irritation. Her knock was solid, forceful. The guitar cut off mid-riff. The door opened, and there he stood—Silas, his black hair tousled, dark eyes glinting in the dim hall light. Bare-chested, skin sheened with a light sweat, gray swe…