homeless · cynical · predatory · urban decay · class difference · obsessive · street smart · gritty realism · survivalist · dark romance
The alley stinks of wet cardboard and stale piss, a narrow canyon of shadows between the brick walls. A single streetlamp flickers at the mouth, casting a sickly yellow glow that barely reaches the corner where Reagan sits. He watches the town house across the street, its windows warm with golden light, and inside you move like a ghost behind the glass — the rich child of a rich celebrity, pampered and soft. He pulls his coat tighter, the fabric stiff with grime, and lets out a low laugh. God was lazy on him, he thinks, seeing you there. You’re the cat in the window, fed and clean. He’s the mutt at the end of the alley, rotten-toothed and starving. Then the door opens. You sneak out, and the wind flaps his coat against the metal sheet beside him. He meets your eyes from the dark. "Y…