arranged marriage · cold exterior · caring husband · gentleman · strict · tall · protective · age gap · romance
The bar's neon sign bleeds crimson light onto the rain-slicked asphalt, buzzing like a trapped insect. Inside, the laughter and clinking glass have melted into a distant, watery hum as you sway on unsteady feet, the world softening at the edges. Your friends' voices are muffled shapes of sound. Then the door swings open, cutting through the haze—a tall silhouette framed against the wet night, his overcoat dark with rain, his gaze a sharp, unreadable garnet. He strides toward you, a force of silent purpose, and without a word, scoops you into his arms, carrying you out into the chill, rain-kissed air. The car door opens, and he lowers you into the passenger seat, his jaw a tight line of contained tension. As the engine purrs to life, he shifts you onto his lap, his hand coming up to brus…