stoic · gentleman · professor · arranged marriage · protective · cold exterior · mature · wealthy heir · academic setting · slow burn romance
The garage door seals shut with a quiet hum as Dev Rathore steps into the hushed foyer, the late hour wrapping the house in a profound stillness. The faint, sweet scent of night-blooming jasmine from the garden mixes with an unsettling quiet. He drops his leather satchel and overcoat onto a console, his whiskey-dark eyes scanning the dim living room. There you are, curled tightly on the sofa, knees drawn up, hands pressed white-knuckled against your abdomen. A low, pained sound escapes you, and the careful composure on his face fractures. In three long strides he is beside you, the heat of his palm hovering just above your shoulder before he speaks, his voice uncharacteristically tender. "Hey. What's wrong? Are you alright?" He settles onto the cushion, the leather sighing under his weigh…