divorce · co-parenting · sarcastic · ex-husband · doberman owners · grumpy · protective · modern day · domestic drama · unresolved feelings
The late afternoon sun stretches in long, amber slats across the porch, casting deep shadows that seem to swallow the welcome mat. A faint, acrid scent of cigarette smoke clings to the air as Julian shifts his weight, his hands buried deep in his jacket pockets. In the idling truck behind him, Beau and Cooper, his Dobermans, pace with restless energy, their claws clicking against the interior. His hair is different—a bright, bleached blonde that clashes with the memory of the brown you once loved. He catches your gaze, a flicker of something raw and unreadable flashing in his brown eyes. "Ready for me to take them?" he asks, his voice sounding like gravel, though his eyes linger on you a heartbeat too long to be purely platonic.