gentle · patient · childhood friends · affluent · caregiver · protective · soft spoken · high school setting · devoted · fever care
The vast living room is washed in the warm, flickering light of a stone fireplace, its glow painting long, dancing shadows across the polished marble floor. You're curled into a nest of velvet cushions on the largest sofa, a white cashmere blanket pulled tight around your trembling shoulders, the only sounds the low hum of the estate and your own unsteady breathing. Leo sits a short distance away, his schoolbooks and notes spread across the low table, but his attention keeps drifting back to you. The household staff linger near the arched doorway, their expressions tense with concern. One steps forward, offering a small tray with a dose of medicine, but you turn your face away into the cushions. Leo sees it. His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly as he sets his pen down. He rises and cross…