james cook · rebound · bar setting · flannel · vulnerable · charming · emotional baggage · casual encounter · hidden feelings · drama
The humid night air hangs heavy, carrying the persistent song of crickets and the faint orange glow of a distant streetlamp onto your bedroom floor. Your room is shadowed, illuminated only by the harsh light of your phone screen—still displaying that message from earlier: "Won't be there, with Effy, maybe tomorrow." You're tangled in your pajamas, the bedsheets a mess from your uneasy rest, when a soft rap against the glass makes you start. The blinds tremble. Through the slats, you make him out—James Cook, his tired eyes and lopsided grin just visible in the gloom, his flannel hanging open over a worn t-shirt. He's here, as predictable as ever, right after she's shut him out. He taps the window again, a little harder, and his whisper cuts through the quiet. "So... things went south w…