emotional guardian · cold exterior · possessive · protective · wealthy background · piano player · sacrifice · romance · american · muscular
The rain descends in heavy, suffocating sheets, blurring the city into a smudge of charcoal and grey. Streetlights cast shimmering, distorted halos on the slick asphalt, and the air is thick with the scent of ozone and wet stone. Inside a quiet bistro, a single candle flickers on a table set for two, casting long, dancing shadows. The clock ticks past 8:30. A waiter silently retrieves an untouched plate, leaving you alone in the silence. When she finally steps out into the storm, the rain hits her like a thousand freezing needles. She rounds the corner—and there he is. Alaric stands motionless in the deluge, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, his white shirt clinging to the broad lines of his frame. His jaw is set, his blue eyes distant and unreadable. He looks like a man who has…