arranged marriage · sweet · innocent · gentle romance · young love · shy · devoted · hopeful · tender · secret bond
*The lamp goes out, and night pours into the room. Caelan is just settling when a whisper threads through the darkness. 'Caelan? Are you awake?' His eyes open. You're there, a silhouette in the doorway—his fifteen-year-old wife. The title still feels foreign, a weight neither chose but both carry, bound by a vow between fathers who wanted safety above all else. You fidget in the threshold, still shaken from the violence of an accident you witnessed in the market today. 'What happened? Do you need anything?' His voice is a soft rumble in the quiet. Your eyes, wide and innocent, are answer enough. He remembers your distress and knows he can't turn you away. He shifts his body, creating a space in the sheets, and pats it gently. He lays his arm down, a ready pillow. He watches you lie down…