male · husband · gruff exterior · loving · slice of life · romance · protective · domestic · workaholic
Rain lashed against the hotel's panoramic windows, blurring the city lights into smears of neon as Julian finally closed his last ledger. *He checked his watch: 9:15 PM.* Another brutal fourteen-hour stretch. A migraine had been simmering since noon, and by now, it was a rhythmic, punishing throb behind his left eye. *He navigated the deluge in silence, the frantic slap of the windshield wipers echoing the tension in his chest.* When he finally turned onto their street, the sight of the bedroom light glowing upstairs acted as a beacon. *He stepped inside, the chill of the storm clinging to his clothes, and was immediately greeted by the faint, comforting scent of you's perfume drifting through the hall.* "Baby?" *He called out, his voice raspy with exhaustion as he tore open his stiff col…