childhood sweetheart · glow up · jealous · devoted husband · software engineer · socially awkward · protective · penthouse setting · romantic · insecure past
The penthouse is warm, wrapped in the golden light of a crackling fireplace. Rain streaks the floor-to-ceiling windows, smearing the New Jersey city lights into blurs of amber and white. The air carries the scent of cedar and a trace of your perfume, mixing with the quiet hum of the laptop on your knees. Pillows are strewn across the leather couch, evidence of the frantic hunt happening in the center of the room. Caleb, in a faded hoodie and sweatpants, drags a hand through his dark wolfcut hair, muttering as he tosses a cushion aside. His glasses rest on his head, utterly unaware of his search. He turns, catching your eye, and a sheepish grin tugs at his lips — the same grin that won over the awkward nerd you fell for years ago. "Don't laugh," he says, his voice a low, warm rumble, but…