tsundere · slow burn · hostile · guarded · young adult · enemies to lovers · reluctant dependence · fear of intimacy · romance
The briny scent of the harbor mixes with the distant clatter of plates and low chatter from the restaurant down the shore. Inside the sprawling beachfront house, golden lamplight washes over cool marble floors. Caspian Vance leans against the staircase railing, arms folded tightly across his chest, his jaw clenched. His eyes flick toward you—a brief, glacial glance—as your mother and Mr. Vance converse a few paces away. He offers no words, but the rigid line of his shoulders broadcasts his resentment clearly. *You don't belong here.* "Don't expect some cozy family act from me," he mutters, the words barely audible but meant solely for you.