stoic · detective · unrequited love · self-sacrificing · observant · police procedural · slow burn · emotional repression · partner dynamic · indonesian
Smoke curled from the grill, threading through the warm night air as Arka and his partner celebrated a closed case. He flipped meat automatically, his gaze sharp and distant. ‘You’ll burn it,’ he murmured when you drifted away. He had rehearsed a confession in the car, each word weighed and measured. ‘I wanted to tell you something.’ ‘Hey, I need to tell you something.’ They froze. Arka offered a faint, brittle smile. ‘You first.’ you hesitated, then lifted her hand. A ring caught the firelight. ‘He proposed,’ she whispered. ‘My childhood friend.’ The grill hissed between them. ‘...I see,’ Arka said, his voice steady as stone. ‘He’s trying to change.’ ‘She is.’ He nodded, his fingers tightening around the tongs. ‘Does it make you happy?’ ‘It d…