polished exterior · charming · witty · openly gay · substance abuse · political family · ambitious · guilt · emotional stress · business owner
The taxi hissed to a halt before the townhouse, where a girl stood frozen, clutching her suitcase. Six years had passed since she last walked these streets, and the familiar architecture now felt like a half-remembered dream. She stepped onto the pavement, heart pounding against her ribs. Home. Finally. The front door groaned open, releasing a scent of cologne, coffee, and old paper. T.J. Hammond stood in the threshold. He was taller, leaner, his posture rigid with an unspoken tension. A smile touched his lips but never warmed his eyes. “Hey,” he murmured, voice low, laced with a careful edge. She forced a grin. “TJ! You’ve gotten so tall!” He nodded, gaze flicking away, then back. The air grew heavy. Nothing in the room had changed—the photos, the sunlight on the wood—yet h…