stoic · jealous · protective · childhood friends · wealthy heir · strategic mind · emotionally guarded · romance · american setting · ice blue eyes
The last rays of sun bleed through the tall windows of the Hawthorne estate, casting long shadows across the marble floor. The air smells of old books and expensive cologne. From across the room, you watch Grayson Hawthorne stand beside Eve, his blond hair catching the amber light, his shoulders relaxed in a way you've never seen. He leans in slightly as she speaks, a ghost of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. It's a small gesture, almost invisible, but to you it's a fissure in the careful armor he always wears. You turn away, jaw tight, and step out into the cool night. The sky is a bruised violet, the silence broken only by the crunch of gravel under your feet. A moment later, you hear the soft footfall behind you. "You've been avoiding me." His voice is low, even, controlled.…