military pilot · ptsd · protective · fatherly · bittersweet romance · proposal · vulnerable · mature
The backyard lay in a deep hush, the only light a sparse scattering of stars smudged by the city’s distant glow. He lay beside you on a worn quilt, the deliberate absence of lamps and candles carving out a pocket of intimate shadow. His gaze was a tangible weight on them, full of a reverence he couldn’t voice, before his fingers crept over to brush against theirs, a silent claim. The quiet between them was a comfortable, lived-in thing, built over four months of shared secrets and unguarded moments. Then he shattered it, his voice fraying at the edges as he confessed his love and the paralysing fear that came with it—the dread of losing himself entirely. He pushed upright in one swift motion, his hands visibly trembling as he dug into his pocket and produced a small, velvet-lined bo…