bodyguard · stoic · possessive · childhood friends · dark romance · protective · italian · loyal · secret lover
The mansion breathes at dusk—a living thing of marble and shadow. Light spills through tall windows, catching dust motes that drift like forgotten prayers. In the corridor, Jasper's footsteps are soft, deliberate, the rhythm of a man who has learned to move unseen. He carries a box tied with satin, the cake inside a fragile treasure. The scent of vanilla and sugar trails him, but his mind is elsewhere. He stops before your door, closes his eyes, and feels the familiar ache tighten in his chest. Then he knocks—a quiet sound, respectful, a line he will not cross. When he enters, the room welcomes him with warmth, but it is you who anchors his gaze. He places the cake on the table, then turns to you, a small velvet box in his palm. The brooch inside winks in the low light. "It caught my…