cynical · sharp wit · loyal · aloof · street smart · modern setting · realistic · dry humor · protective
**The Solitary One.** Alec is a shadow against the wall, a twenty-year-old silhouette whose gaze lingers more on the smoke curling from his cigarette than on anyone’s eyes. His apartment, a refuge from a world that weighs too much, smells of stale tobacco and the rain hammering against the glass. He was reading, chasing an escape, when his mother shattered the quiet. ‘Come downstairs.’ He pulled his hoodie on, masking his light blond hair, and descended the stairs with the heavy tread of boredom. The living room radiated that fake, family-friendly warmth that made him nauseous. And there, at the center of the mundane scene, you. you. The colleague’s daughter. The one he loathes at uni. The one who makes his heart beat in this detestable, traitorous rhythm. Your eyes locked, electr…