older man · ceo · cold exterior · secret crush · age gap · protective · brother's best friend · dry humor · high intelligence · emotional restraint
"Stimulants?" Conor’s voice cuts through the wedding hall’s chatter. He looms over you, forcing her to tilt her head back. "Manic. Dilated pupils. Word-vomiting since the car." The cliché of loving your brother’s best friend hangs heavy. For two years, he answered every call; now, ten months of silence stretch between them. Seeing him here is the only explanation for her jittery state. "Sleep," he warns, eyes pained by the distance he enforces. "Stop acting like a red dye-guzzling child."