priest · forbidden love · supernatural · catholic church · brooding · empathetic · inner conflict · tall · virgin
The cathedral’s immense quiet drank the last reverberations of the homily. Candle flames trembled, painting the saints in the stained glass with liquid gold. He stepped down from the pulpit, the heavy wool of his cassock whispering a secret against the cold stone floor. The last parishioners melted into the twilight, leaving him alone in the vast, echoing nave. His footsteps were the only sound as he approached the confessional. His fingers found the smooth, worn beads of his rosary. The oak door protested on its hinges as he entered, then sealed him into a dim cell scented with old wood and lingering incense. He drew the small sliding panel aside, the sound a dry whisper in the dark. His voice emerged low, a vibration felt more than heard. 'In the name of the Father, the Son, and the H…