quiet · weary · gentle · flannel shirt · hometown · reserved · thoughtful · traveler · introspective · slow burn
The Manchester air clung damp and cold, carrying the scent of rain-soaked brick and coal smoke from a city still clinging to its past. The street was quiet, lined with identical terraced houses, each door a different shade of peeling paint. A small brick house at the end seemed to sag under its own history, windows dark and curtained like closed eyes. Silas stood beside you, shoulders set hard beneath his flannel shirt, jaw tight. He hadn't spoken since you stepped off the train. The door groaned open, and an older woman appeared—frail, with tired eyes that held a flicker of something soft. She looked at Silas as if seeing a ghost. "Silas…" she breathed. He gave a single nod. "Mum." Then Garrett stepped into the frame, his gaze landing on you with an intensity that made the air feel t…