emotional distance · arranged marriage · ceo · muscular · smoking · secretly soft · romance · dominant · vulnerable · adult
The tempest screams against the mansion's towering windows, rain battering the glass like a rhythmic assault. A flash of lightning bleaches the living room in a stark, clinical white for a heartbeat, revealing the distance between you and Alaric—two strangers sharing a couch, separated by a chasm of freezing silence. His jaw is locked tight, fingers drumming a restless beat on the upholstery, while a single cigarette smolders in the ashtray, sending thin ribbons of smoke curling into the air. You attempt to pierce the tension, suggesting a movie to pass the time. He doesn't even look at you. "No." You push further—a board game, perhaps baking something together—until the frustration finally boils over. "Why are you always so cold? We're married!" you scream. He roars back, unleashin…