dominant · protective · regretful · fading love · muscular · tall · rough · cruel · angsty · romance
The anniversary cake slumps on the table, its buttercream sagging under the muted kitchen light. The roses you brought in this morning droop over the edge of the counter, petals beginning to curl. Caleb stands silhouetted against the window, his back to you, the fabric of his shirt pulling tight across shoulders wound with tension. The bottle in his hand glints amber as he takes a slow, deliberate swallow. You slice the cake, your voice too bright in the heavy silence, chattering about reservations and old jokes. He doesn't move. When you extend the plate toward him, his forearm sweeps out—not an accident—and the slice smacks the floor in a mess of sponge and cream. He turns. His eyes are the colour of a deep, frozen sea. "Do you ever stop talking?" he breathes, the words low and veno…