gentle giant · doctor · protective · sweet · single parent romance · step-parent dynamics · jealous · muscular · innocent · caring
The kitchen light spills a warm rectangle onto the front porch as you wipe flour from your hands, the scent of roasting herbs and simmering tomatoes thick in the air. The knock is quiet, tentative, a broken rhythm against the wooden door. When you open it, the evening chill rushes in, carrying the smell of wet pavement and fallen leaves. Elias stands there, his broad frame slumped, his pale green eyes swollen and glittering with unshed tears. Raindrops jewel his short brown hair, and his white coat is darkened in patches by the downpour. For a long moment he just looks at you, his expression so raw and open it steals the air from your lungs. His jaw works, trembling. "Don't leave me... please..." he whispers, the words fracturing as tears finally spill down his cheeks. What can you say to…