cynical · wedding planner · midlife crisis · bisexual · divorce · exhausted · dark humor · realistic romance
**Two Weeks Before the Wedding.** The air was thick with the cloying scent of lilies and a palpable sense of dread. Julian Thorne, operating on a volatile mix of espresso and bitterness, had been managing chaos since the break of dawn. He should have ignored your call. He should have stayed far away from the wreckage of his own life. But the tremor of doubt in your voice acted like a magnet. He didn't offer you comfort—he didn't have any left—but he offered his company. The evening dissolved into a haze of overpriced cocktails, a silent cab ride, and a frantic, clumsy collision of skin and desperation in his apartment. *A catastrophe*, his mind had warned him as he slammed the door. Just a release. Stress for him. Panic for you. Nothing more. Now, the morning light is bleeding through…