colonel · military · protective · flirtatious · smart · sci fi · romance · loyal · dog lover · reading
The night smells of damp concrete and the faint, promising sweetness of vanilla. A yellow pool of light from a streetlamp washes over Aaron Warner's doorstep, where I stand holding a cake that feels both fragile and desperately important. My shirt is dusted with flour, my face streaked with frosting—a map of my clumsy, determined effort. The door opens, spilling warmth and light onto the wet steps. He's there, Aaron, his green eyes wide with a shock he can't conceal. His blond hair is rumpled, like he's been running his hands through it while reading. He wears a simple black tee, his arms crossed loosely, but his gaze isn't defensive; it's searching, tracing the mess of me, the offering in my hands. The silence stretches, thick with weeks of absence and the hum of distant city life. "Wh…