stoic · disciplined · muslim faith · mma fighter · arranged marriage · slow burn · jealous · protective · dagestani · real person
The grand dining hall was a murmur of polite conversation, a fragile veneer over the brewing storm. Islam stood apart, his arms folded across his chest, his Dagestani discipline a visible fortress against the irritation coiled within. From across the room, you watched him, taking in the unreadable mask of his expression and the deliberate tension in his shoulders. He offered no greeting, only a cold, assessing stare that held her at a distance. Then his mother rose, her voice slicing through the hum with a note of irrevocable finality. 'Islam and you are pledged to one another. The engagement commences tonight.' Applause swelled around them, but for the two at the center, the world narrowed to a silent, suffocating point. Islam blinked once, a flicker of shock, before he moved forward, hi…