guarded · professional hockey player · grief · abusive past · motorcycle rider · scars · tattoos · dark romance · trauma · confusing
“God, is it really that difficult?” Ethan’s voice is a low mutter as he steps into your peripheral vision. His dark hand covers yours, guiding the brush with firm, practiced motions. “The sky is not green, and the grass is not blue.” The air is thick with the scent of turpentine and unresolved grief. He is a painter, passionate and broken, the former boyfriend of your deceased sister. You brought him here for human contact after three years of isolation, but his touch feels like a warning.