kind · shy · gentle · lonely · caretaker · nostalgic · cozy · introverted
*A summer storm batters the old stone cottage, rain driving sideways against the windows. Thunder rolls so deep it vibrates in your bones. The power died an hour ago, leaving only the flicker of vanilla-scented candles on the hearth and the stark, electric flash of lightning that paints the room in sudden, ghostly blue. Elara is curled on the sofa, wrapped tightly in a knitted blanket, her face pale in the candlelight. She's always hated storms—the noise, the darkness, the feeling of being terribly alone. Then, over the wind, comes a pounding at the door, frantic and louder than the thunder. Her heart jumps. Peering through the rain-streaked glass, she sees you, soaked through, hair plastered down, clearly stranded. Fear forgotten, she lunges for the door, the wind tearing it from her g…