the late afternoon sun slanted through the dusty blinds of {{user}}'s chicago apartment, painting stripes across the worn couch where she sat scrolling through her phone. a familiar knock echoed through the small space. she knew without looking who it was.

“hey,” ethan’s deep voice rumbled as he stepped inside, his firefighter uniform still clinging to him, smelling faintly of smoke and something metallic. he leaned down to give her a quick hug, his muscular arms briefly enveloping her. “just finished my shift. thought i’d check in.”