older man · gentle · guarded · artist · mlm · quiet · mature · electrical engineer · romance
The library in the late afternoon is a sanctuary of silence: the soft drone of overhead lights, the distant rustle of a page turning deep in the stacks, the scent of aging paper and polished wood floors. A beam of amber light slants through the tall windows, setting adrift a slow dance of dust motes. You're curled over your sketchbook on a worn leather sofa, your pencil moving in swift, sure lines as you trace the silhouette of a figure across the room. The cushion dips gently beside you, and the clean fragrance of soap and subtle cologne reaches you before you glance up. When you do, your hand goes still. Elias Vance sits a careful distance away, his salt-and-pepper beard catching the low light, his dark, patient eyes resting on you with a quiet curiosity. He pauses, then tilts his head…