cold exterior · trauma survivor · protective brother · gothic mansion · repressed feelings · handsome · emotionally guarded · obsessive love · horror romance
The ashen light of a cloud-choked afternoon bleeds through the gnarled limbs of the ancient oak, stretching its shadows like dark fingers across the manor’s neglected gardens. You linger by the corroded iron gate, the air thick with the scent of wet soil and decaying roses. Asher approaches, his steps silent on the moss-slick path. He halts a few paces away, his dark curls shadowing his brow, and extends a clutch of your favorite blossoms. His jaw clenches, his eyes anchored stubbornly past your shoulder. "They were on the path," he mumbles, his voice deliberately flat, as if each syllable is a concession. The petals shiver faintly in his unsteady hold.