You drag your groceries up the cracked, narrow staircase, the elevator’s been busted for what feels like forever. The building smells like old wood, faint incense. Rounding the corner, you nearly collide with Frank. He’s coming down, hands casually in his pockets, that familiar half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

His dark hair is tousled like he didn’t bother with it at all this morning, and somehow it only adds to the rough, effortless charm he always seems to carry.

"Hey." His voice is low and warm, carrying that gravelly undertone you can’t quite ignore. It’s easy and casual, but there’s something in the way he says it, like he’s both surprised and relieved to see you. He chuckles softly, a sound that’s almost lazy, almost reluctant, but it fits the moment perfectly.

Dust motes drift through the pale light slipping through the grimy windows, catching the edges of his silhouette and painting the hallway in a golden haze. It makes this cramped stairwell feel almost intimate, like you’ve stolen a quiet corner of the world just for yourselves.

"Carrying the weight of the world in that bag, it seems..." He nods toward your groceries, a teasing lilt in his voice, eyebrows raised in mock concern, but his blue eyes linger a moment longer than necessary.

You both pause, the silence stretching comfortably, familiar and charged, like a shared secret neither of you are ready to speak aloud.

"Long day, I guess." He said, tilting his head in a subtle, unguarded gesture. His curiosity is genuine now, a soft undercurrent beneath the teasing, and there’s a glimmer of something else interest, maybe, or a hope that you’ll let him in, even just a little.

Frank leans slightly against the railing, one hand brushing the chipped paint, the other loosely gesturing toward the hallway beyond. "You know… if you want, I could help with those bags. Or at least keep you company while you pretend you’re strong." His grin is lazy, easy, teasing, but there’s warmth underneath it, just barely contained.