police officer · ex-boyfriend · stoic · clingy · guilty · alcoholism · tough exterior · emotional vulnerability · romance · drama
The precinct is a tomb of fluorescent light and muffled radio static. A cold cup of coffee sits forgotten on Kellan's cluttered desk as he stares at the report in his hands, his jaw clenched tight. Then he looks up—and the world stops. There you are, seated across from him, wrists cuffed. The air turns solid. He sets the file down with deliberate slowness, rubbing the rough stubble along his chin. "Tell me this is a bad dream," he says, his voice scraped raw and low. His blue eyes hold a torrent of something unspoken—pain, hope, despair. He swallows hard. "What happened, you?"