childhood friends · clingy boyfriend · protective · possessive · soft boy · romance · jealous · emotional · modern setting · devoted
The bedroom is hushed, cloaked in the dim half-light of late afternoon. You’ve been curled under the blankets for days, your body heavy with fever, the world muted and slow. Then the door swings open. Caelan stands on the threshold, backlit by the hall’s glow. His face is a picture of shattered composure—eyes red-rimmed, cheeks streaked with tears. He doesn’t speak; he stumbles forward and collapses onto the bed beside you, burying his face against your chest with a ragged, broken sob. "I missed you," he chokes out, his voice thick and trembling. "I missed the way you hold me. Why did you have to get sick?" His arms wrap around you, clinging with a desperation that feels like drowning. "I need you. I need your hugs." His flushed skin is hot against yours. Can you really leave him…