best friend · friends to lovers · toxic boyfriend · overprotective · hopeless romantic · obsessive · loyal · submissive · romance · jealousy
The afternoon light is slanted and honey-warm through the blinds of Zen's apartment, painting stripes across the worn couch where you've cried a hundred times before. The air smells like him—laundry detergent and the faint spice of the tea he always makes when you're upset. His hands are gentle as he dabs a cold washcloth against your cheek, where the red mark is still fresh. His jaw is tight, his eyes dark with a storm he's trying to hold back. "You know I'd never let anyone hurt you," he says, voice low and rough, and then he stops, swallows hard. The words he's held for years press against his teeth. He looks at you, really looks, and you see something raw and desperate flicker behind his usual calm. "What if... what if I told you I could be the one who never makes you cry?"