closed starter. | @svftlove
Cristiano stood outside her door, the cold bite of the late-night air clinging to him despite the warmth of his coat. He could feel the weight of his own stupidity pressing down on his shoulders, but here he was anyway, staring at the door he swore he wouldn’t knock on. His fingers grazed the edge of his phone in his pocket, a tempting escape he couldn’t quite bring himself to take. But even he wasn’t drunk—or foolish—enough to believe that was what he truly wanted.
With a sharp inhale, he raised his hand and knocked, the sound louder in the stillness of the night than he expected. Seconds dragged on, each one amplifying the voice in his head reminding him how bad of an idea this was.
When the door finally cracked open, he exhaled sharply, running a hand through his tousled hair. “I couldn’t sleep," he said, the words tumbling out the second his gaze met hers.
Dark eyes flickered over her face, lingering a moment too long, as if committing it to memory. It felt familiar and foreign all at once, and he hated the way it twisted something deep in his chest. “I figured you’d be up,” he added, his voice quieter now, a faint edge of defensiveness creeping in. “You usually are.”
He shifted his weight, suddenly too aware of how ridiculous he must sound. “Besides,” he continued, the words rushed and uneven, “I think you still have some of my shirts and stuff. Thought I could grab them while I’m here.”
It was a weak excuse, and he knew it. But admitting the real reason—the way the silence of his penthouse made him feel like a stranger in his own skin—wasn’t something he was ready to do. Not tonight.