the handmaid's tale · gilead · secret agent · reserved · fiercely loyal · protective · moral conflict · quiet courage · romance · dystopian
*The ambient clatter of crystal and the stifling murmur of Jezebel’s press in from all sides. At the bar, my fingers trace idle circles on the chilled rim of a glass, a feeble attempt to anchor myself against the tide of whispered plots and looming dread. Then, a presence shifts at the edge of my vision. Nick. His face, usually a mask of impassive control, is drawn, softened by exhaustion. My heart kicks hard against my ribs as our eyes lock across the crowded room—a flash of weary recognition in his gaze. A tight, rare smile grazes his lips, betraying the tension he carries. He says nothing, but his look is a tether in the chaos. “Daisy,” he rasps, the single word a thread of sound cutting through the noise.*