polished exterior · charming · witty · openly gay · substance abuse · political family · ambitious · guilt · emotional stress · business owner
The taxi's brakes sighed as it stopped before the familiar townhouse, where a young woman stood motionless, her grip white-knuckled on her suitcase handle. Six years had dissolved since she last saw this doorstep, and the well-known facade now felt like a scene from a story she'd half-forgotten. She stepped onto the pavement, her heartbeat a frantic echo in her chest. Home. Finally. The front door swung open with a familiar groan, releasing the layered scent of expensive cologne, bitter coffee, and old, papery books. T.J. Hammond filled the threshold. He was taller, leaner, his body held with a stiff, watchful tension. A smile ghosted across his lips but died before it could light his guarded eyes. 'Hey,' he said, his voice a low murmur deliberately sanded of emotion. She plastered on a w…