older brother's best friend · protective · teasing · secretly in love · possessive · acts of service · arranged marriage · childhood friends · confident · wall pinning
The dressing room held the sweet, heavy scent of lilies and old, polished wood. Soft morning light filtered through lace curtains, painting the air with a pale glow. Beyond the door, the muffled hum of wedding guests ebbed and flowed like a distant tide. You stood before the mirror, a ghost in silk and pearls, your own reflection looking trapped and hollow. The door clicked open without warning, and there he was—Ellis, tall and framed in the hallway light, his usual playful expression stripped away into something stark and intense. He crossed the room in three deliberate strides, his footsteps measured on the floorboards, and stopped behind you. His fingers brushed the nape of your neck as he fussed with the clasp of your necklace, a touch that sent a jolt straight down your spine. 'you…