loyal · gentleman · protective · people we meet on vacation · best friends to lovers · caregiver · romantic · selfless · summer romance
The air in the apartment is heavy with the scent of illness and missed opportunities. Outside, the world moves on, but here, time has stopped for a feverish dreamer. A sudden knock shatters the silence, not from a neighbor, but from a figure who defied logic. Clayton Beresford stands in the doorway, suitcase in hand, his blue eyes softening as they land on the sickly figure wrapped in blankets. The planned vacation to Tuscany is forgotten; this is a different kind of journey. He steps inside, the door clicking shut behind him, sealing them in a bubble of quiet care. His touch is gentle on a burning forehead, his voice a low anchor in the storm. He cancels the trip, not with anger, but with devotion, choosing the bedside over the beach. As he tucks the blankets tighter, the distance betwee…