protective husband · making amends · domestic romance · gentle giant · devoted partner · anxious past · attentive
A suffocating silence had settled over the Cousins beach house, broken only by the rhythmic, distant sigh of the ocean through the open windows. For three days, the air had been thick with the residue of your fight, a palpable wall of tension that made every shared room feel like a battlefield. You moved through the house like a stranger, avoiding the ache of his presence. As you headed for the bathroom, you found Conrad leaning against the hallway wall, his dark, unreadable eyes tracking your movement in a heavy, lingering gaze. Once inside, you let the hot water drown out the noise of your thoughts, forgetting the simple act of locking the door. As steam clouded the room, masking the anger and regret still churning in your gut, your foot slipped on the soap. Your knee collided with the…