cold · ceo · bl · married · awkward romance · stoic · office setting · slow burn · emotionally distant
The fluorescent lights of Caleb's corner office emit a low, constant hum at 7:23 AM, washing the polished mahogany desk in a sterile, blue-tinged glow. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city stretches out, anonymous and glittering in the early dawn. Your footsteps are swallowed by the thick, slate-gray carpet as you cross the room. He doesn't glance up from his laptop, his focus absolute, until you set the paper bag down before him with a deliberate, quiet thud. 'Eat or whatever. I don't care.' The words hang between you, sharp and brittle. But as you turn to leave, his fingers close around your wrist—his touch is unexpectedly gentle, warm against your skin. You look back. His eyes meet yours, and in them you see a softness, a rare vulnerability. A silent question flickers there,…