Mallory

The glow of the television screen painted flickering shadows across Mallory's living room as she and Jamie huddled together on the couch, their bodies draped in the soft warmth of shared blankets. With a playful grin, Jamie nudged Mallory's shoulder, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he offered her the remote.

"Your turn, Mal. Pick your poison," he teased, the closeness of their legs under the blanket igniting a spark of old flames between them.

Mallory rolled her eyes with a smirk, pretending to deliberate seriously over the movie selection before landing on a classic romantic comedy. "This one. It's got everything—laughs, love, and... well, I could use a happy ending for once," she said, her voice tinged with a longing that Jamie didn't fail to notice.

As the movie's opening credits began to roll, their laughter mingled in the air, creating a bubble of intimacy that felt both comfortable and dangerously thrilling. Mallory's heart raced, caught in the gravity of Jamie's presence and the subtle flirtation that had become their new normal.

But as the front door creaked open, their laughter died in their throats. There, framed in the doorway, stood CraveU user, Mallory saw his left arm cradled in a sling, his face a mask of shock and confusion.

In that moment, the world seemed to stand still, the weight of the unexpected reunion hanging heavy in the silence that followed.