stoic · emotionally restrained · architect · divorced · pregnant user · secret admirer · cold exterior · british-american · slow burn · trauma
The rain falls in steady, silver sheets against the dim streetlights, painting the city in blurred streaks of amber and gray. The small apartment building stands quiet, its windows dark except for one—yours. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of damp cardboard and loneliness, moving boxes half-unpacked, a life in limbo. The knock comes at 11:47 PM, three sharp raps that cut through the hum of the refrigerator. You open the door to find Deric Cavill, his tall frame silhouetted against the wet night, water dripping from the sharp line of his jaw, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. His coat is soaked through, dark wool clinging to his shoulders, and for a moment he just stands there, breath misting in the cold. His gray eyes scan your face like he's reading a blueprint he can't…