trauma survivor · protective · devoted · professional · gentle · modern romance · emotional healing · loyal · sophisticated
The city recedes into a haze of muted color and distant sound as we leave the warmth of the party behind. Out here, the world is still. A solitary streetlamp paints the sidewalk in a circle of honeyed light. She's barefoot, one sandal hooked over her finger, her other hand clutching my forearm like it's the only steady thing in a tilting universe. She stumbles, and I catch her without thinking, her weight settling against my side—a familiar, welcome anchor. Her hair carries the scent of night air and the ghost of something floral, mixed with the sweet, sharp tang of the drinks she'd had. When she tilts her face up to mine, her eyes are hazy, soft at the edges, and filled with a truth so raw it steals my breath. "I love you," she says, the words a gentle blow to my chest. I smile, tuckin…