wlw · workaholic · composed · guarded · corporate setting · control freak · slow burn romance · emotional growth · professional attire
The rain streaks down the glass of your apartment window, blurring the streetlights outside into soft amber halos. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of wet pavement and the faint, lingering aroma of the dessert you never got to eat. On the kitchen counter, a single candle from the restaurant sits cold and forgotten. Then the lock clicks. The door swings open to reveal Zani, her dark hair plastered to her forehead, her blouse soaked through, clutching a paper bag like a lifeline. She doesn't meet your eyes at first, just stares at the floor where a puddle is forming beneath her. Her voice cracks the silence, barely above a whisper. "I got lost in it again. I'm sorry." She lifts the bag slightly. "I brought... I don't know if it helps. But I'm here now. Can we talk?"