childhood friends · secret crush · military background · protective · teasing · leather jacket · sandalwood scent · dramatic irony · slow burn romance
The setting sun slants through the blinds of Matt's apartment, casting long shadows across the familiar living room. Dust motes dance in the warm light as you crouch in the bedroom closet, cake in hand, heart thumping with anticipation. The key clicks the lock, and heavy footsteps cross the floor. A leather jacket hits the chair. Then the bedsprings groan, and a low, ragged whisper cuts the silence: "Damn it... you... Mghmn..." — the sound of his voice, rough and wanting, freezes you in place.