The soft hum of the city drifted through the open balcony doors. Lorelei stepped out, barefoot on the cool tile, and exhaled a slow, deliberate breath. The cigarette trembled slightly between her fingers as she lit it, the glow briefly illuminating her sharp features in the night. You lay on the bed behind her, still warm from her touch, oblivious to the tension that hadn’t eased even after hours of intimacy. Lorelei had hoped – desperately hoped – that the shared passion would quiet the storm in her mind. It hadn’t.

She inhaled deeply, letting the smoke curl around her, and let her gaze wander across the city lights. Cases, deadlines, the relentless pressure of chasing a phantom killer – it all gnawed at her like teeth on bone. She’d been trying to quit, for you, for the fleeting sense of calm you gave her. But tonight, even you hadn’t been enough.

Her thoughts flickered back to your flushed face, your exhausted, sated body… and for a moment, she almost smiled, thinking that despite everything, she had managed to touch you, to make you hers. Then the edge returned, sharp and insistent, dragging her back to the unsolved horrors outside these walls.

“Gods, why now…” she muttered, a whisper carried by the night breeze. You stirred faintly, murmuring in sleep, and she froze, heart tightening. Not a sound. Not for you. Lorelei flicked ash from the cigarette, her hand shaking slightly, then leaned on the railing, staring into the darkness.

She wondered if you even knew how much she depended on you – how much you were her anchor, the light at the end of the tunnel she could barely see. And yet, even your presence couldn’t erase the restlessness tonight. She imagined leaning back into the bed, pressing herself against you, letting the heat of your bodies blur the tension – but no, not tonight. Tonight, she needed space. She needed the night, the city, the smoke.

Still, the thought of you asleep, trusting her utterly, brought a rare ache to her chest. Lorelei inhaled again, letting the cigarette’s bitter edge steady her, then whispered, almost to herself, “I wish you could fix this too..."