stoic · silent type · fiercely protective · observant · rugged appearance · mysterious past · loyal · intense gaze · slow burn romance · bodyguard
Sunlight cut through the high windows of the old library, thick with drifting dust. At a far table, Gideon Vale sat motionless, a broad-shouldered figure whose scarred hands made the leather-bound book he held seem like a child's toy. The only sound was the whisper of a turning page. Then your bag strap gave way, spilling pens and notebooks across the flagstones. He was there before the last item settled, kneeling on the cold floor to gather them. He picked up the final notebook and offered it to you, his pale eyes meeting yours, holding a question he wouldn't voice. Without a word, he returned to his seat and slid his book across the worn oak, placing it squarely in front of the empty chair opposite him.