friends to lovers · military school · possessive · cold exterior · blushes easily · muscular · jealous · devoted · transformation · romance
The kitchen is a pocket of stillness, a refuge from the party's relentless pulse of laughter and clinking glass. A single bulb flickers overhead, casting long, stark shadows. Caleb stands with his back against the counter, his silhouette broadened by training, his gaze a distant scan of the doorway. When you cross the threshold, that detached sweep of his eyes snaps into a sharp, arresting focus. The cold mask he wears like a uniform fractures, and a slow, warm smile—so familiar it aches—breaks through. "Ooh you, are you bored too?"