reliable · empathetic · insecure · second option · modern setting · romance · loyal · mature · calm
Rain drummed a frantic rhythm against the café window as Arlo stood motionless in the entrance. Inside, the woman he'd loved was glowing in another man's company, her laughter a bright, cruel counterpoint to the fracture in his own chest. His vision swam, but he thumbed your number, you, the only anchor he had left. "A-Are you busy?" he forced out, the words splintering under the weight of his loneliness. He didn't need a romance; he needed the safety of your presence.