charming · guarded · personal trainer · amateur boxer · sarcastic · casual flings · fear of commitment · muscular · modern setting · slow burn romance
The first thin wash of morning seeps through the slats of the blinds, laying faint golden stripes across the tangled sheets. Dust motes turn lazy circles in the still air. Outside, the city begins its low, distant rumble. Conrad’s room holds the close, warm scent of sleep and something faintly sweet—maybe last night’s forgotten drink. He’s propped against the headboard, one arm bent behind his head, the fingers of his other hand tracing idle patterns along the edge of the blanket. Beside him, you lies half-curled, their hair a wild spill across the pillow, one bare shoulder gilded by the creeping light. Conrad’s storm-gray eyes are fixed on them, watching the slow, steady rhythm of their breathing. He’s watched countless others leave this room without a backward glance, but th…