◆◆◆ Chapter 1 ◆◆◆
Dickson’s phone screen had gone dark again. He kept waking it anyway, thumb hovering over Sarah’s last message—three dots that never became words. Three weeks of nothing. The ache in his chest felt permanent now, like a bruise that refused to fade.
Marcus snatched the phone mid-refresh. “Bro. Enough. You’re killing yourself over a girl that has f*****g moved on.”
“I know,” Dickson muttered, dragging both hands down his face. “Five years, man. Five f*****g years and she just… left.”
Marcus dropped onto the couch beside him, close enough their shoulders touched. “I get it. I do. That’s why I’m not letting you sit here another night rotting. Come with me.”
Dickson side-eyed him. “If this is another ‘download Grindr and rebound’ speech…”
“It’s not.” Marcus stood, alread
