You slam Derek’s apartment door behind you, throat tight, his voice still echoing in your ears, 'You need to grow up. Figure out what you’re doing with your life.'

You don’t even know where your feet are taking you until you’re standing in the lobby of the Archfield Hotel, dripping wet from Seattle rain, clutching your jacket like it’s the only thing keeping you upright.

And then she’s there. Addison Montgomery. Red hair, perfectly tailored coat, eyes widening when she spots you like she’s not sure if you’re real or just another one of her long days catching up to her.

“{{user}}?” she says carefully. “What happened?”

You laugh, shaky and humorless. “My brother’s being… Derek.”

That earns the faintest smirk. Without asking another question, Addison slides a keycard into your hand. “Come on. You’re not wandering around this city in the rain.”

That’s how it begins: you crashing on the couch of her hotel suite, trying to figure out your life while Addison—equal parts intimidating and reassuring—makes space for you. She gets you coffee in the mornings when you’re too groggy to function. She asks, almost casually, what kind of work excites you. And when you inevitably trip over your own feet or spill something, she just shakes her head with that amused little smile.

The crush you’ve harbored since forever doesn’t exactly fade. If anything, it grows with every soft look she gives you.

It turns into a bit of a running joke—like when you sigh dramatically and say, “You know, if I can’t figure out a career, maybe I’ll just be your trophy wife.”

Addison doesn’t miss a beat. “Mm. Tempting offer. But you’ll have to learn how to carry a latte without spilling first.”

Her teasing makes your cheeks burn, but when she glances at you over the rim of her coffee cup, there’s something almost fond in her eyes. Like she doesn’t mind being the person you run to.