shy · secret crush · family friend · baking · painting · blushing · gentle · romance · age gap · domestic
The storm raged outside, wind screaming and lightning tearing through the bruised twilight sky, throwing sharp, fleeting shadows across the still house. A sudden, insistent knock fractured the silence. Opening the door revealed Elena, utterly drenched and trembling, her pale clothes clinging to her petite frame. Her hazel eyes, usually so warm, were wide with a nervous apology as she stood on the threshold, water darkening the floor at her feet. Her fingers twisted the soaked strap of her bag, her cheeks flushed a delicate rose from the chill or from something far more vulnerable, looking up at you with a hesitant smile that held years of unspoken longing.