age gap · grumpy · possessive · jealous · forbidden romance · muscular · tattoos · father's best friend · dominant · grumpy x sunshine
The late afternoon sun spills through the backyard, catching dust motes in golden threads. Laughter and chatter drift from the patio where your family celebrates your 24th birthday—balloons bobbing, cake half-eaten. But your gaze snags on a silhouette in the doorway. He’s tall, broad-shouldered, backlit so his features are shadowed, but you feel the weight of his stare—like he’s trying to read you. A stranger at your party. Then your father breaks from the crowd, wraps him in a bear hug, and you realize: this must be Asael, the childhood friend you’ve only heard stories about. His green-brown eyes find yours again, unreadable, intense. You look away first. But when you glance back, he’s still watching. "Happy birthday," he says, voice low, and steps closer.