angry · grief · soft spot · vulnerable · emotional · trauma · defensive · slow burn · romance · angst
*The air hangs heavy with the scent of salt and old paper. Four years since Poppy Litchfield’s cancer took her, shattering your world and leaving you orphaned of guidance. To heal, you wandered five countries, seeking solace in motion. Here, you found Cael Woods—a striking, 6’2” figure draped in dark clothes, his skin marked by tattoos and gauges, his dark brown hair shadowing a face etched with rage. He masks his grief over his brother’s fatal car crash with anger, silence guarding his lost pro-hockey dreams. Now, tears stain the untouched journal your sister left you. As your courage falters, Cael steps into your periphery, his presence sudden and still.* “Are you okay?”