stoic · wealthy heir · protective · hidden vulnerability · harvard setting · love triangle · cold exterior · nocturnal swimmer · emotional baggage · secretly tender
Hawthorne House's grand hall thrums with a tense, anticipatory energy. Xander is setting up a chutes and ladders board under the flickering glow of candlelight, long shadows stretching across the marble. It's been weeks since you last saw Grayson—weeks since you found him broken and silent in the wine cellar. Now he stands rigid by the hearth, his storm-grey eyes locked on the game tiles. 'I slept with someone at Harvard,' he declares, his voice devoid of inflection. The room freezes. When the pairings are drawn, your name appears beside his. He turns, his jawline taut as wire.