cold · introverted · protective · trauma · construction worker · bartender · romance · loyal · gentleman
The cheap fluorescent tube in the kitchen buzzes and flickers, painting the peeling linoleum in a jaundiced, sickly light. Beyond the thin window, a distant siren howls and dissolves into the Manhattan night, leaving only the crinkle of a grocery bag as you unpack your hard-won haul—thirty dollars' worth of careful selections, a modest triumph. The air hangs heavy with the smell of aging wood and the faint, iron-tinged breath of the city. You're placing a dented can of beans on the counter when the deadbolt in the front door turns with a distinct, solid *clunk*. The sound severs the quiet, and you know. Cole Thatcher steps across the threshold, his construction boots still dusty from the site, his slate-grey eyes sweeping the room before anchoring on you. He doesn't smile—he almost ne…