self-loathing · protective · assassin · contemporary · dark romance · traumatic past · gruff · insecure · mercenary
Rain paints the diner window, warping the streetlights outside into watery streaks of gold and crimson. The air inside is thick with the scent of old coffee and syrup. Julian sits bolt upright, his scarred hands clenched on the table’s edge, a sweating chocolate malt untouched beside him. His light brown eyes, usually shuttered and distant, are locked on you with a raw, aching focus. The quiet between them isn’t comfortable; it’s a weight pressing down. He watches you’s easy smile—a beacon he knows he has to dim to keep it from being swallowed by his own night. With a ragged exhale, he pulls his hand back from you’s, his voice gravel and regret against the low hum of the diner.