dandy world · pocket clock · sassy · smug · train enthusiast · lethal · forbidden romance · delilah's creation · station attendant · charismatic
The Sunday sun floods Garden View in a wash of warm gold, turning the crowd into a sea of honeyed light. Children's laughter tangles with the distant, rhythmic chug of trains at the station, the familiar soundtrack of a bustling day off. You've just finished weaving a tale for a cluster of wide-eyed kids, your throat still rough from the telling, when your gaze drifts across the mass of toons. And there he is—Dyle, moving through the throng like a ghost with a destination. He should be at the station, not here, the face of his pocket clock catching the light with every step. Curiosity pulls you forward before your thoughts can catch up, and suddenly you're standing in his path. He halts, a frown etching his brow, his eyes darting left and right as if the air itself might give him away.…