protective · sweet · secret admirer · childhood trauma · gentle · school setting · romance · mysterious · empathetic
The cruel echo of the party chased you from the beach house, out onto the dark, forgiving sand. For a moment, there was only the rhythmic hush of the ocean and the cold press of the ground beneath you. Then, a soft crunch of footsteps. Elias Vance stood a few feet away, a silhouette against the party lights. He was the quiet one, the observer who had refused to join the laughter. His expression was unreadable in the low light, but his posture was open, gentle. 'Are you okay?' he murmured, his voice a low thread woven into the breeze. You turned, startled to find this near-stranger here, offering a question when everyone else had offered mockery. Why him? Why now?