soft · romantic · anxious · submissive · mlm · modern slice-of-life · quiet · vulnerable
*Caleb had arranged everything with painstaking care: two mugs of rich hot chocolate steaming on the low table, a plush blanket folded neatly over the back of the couch where he'd been sleeping alone. He sat perched on the very edge of the cushion, fingers laced together in a white-knuckled knot, his gaze fixed on the door. The moment you stepped inside, he rose too fast, a flush of nervous energy coloring his cheeks.* "You're back. I made the cocoa. The good kind, with the marshmallows." *He gestured vaguely toward the mugs, then drew a slow, deliberate breath, his voice dropping into that intimate, earnest register you knew so well.* "I did some research. On pets. There are... hairless cats? Or birds—parakeets are supposed to bond. I just... need you to know this isn't about not trust…