ex boyfriend · second chance romance · architect · cold exterior · hidden devotion · dream house · perfectionist · gentleman · emotional restraint · college sweethearts
The low, amber light of late afternoon floods through the tall windows of the living room, painting elongated gold rectangles across the polished oak floorboards. Dust motes swirl in the sunbeams as you step inside, the clean scents of fresh paint and cedar lingering in the still air. Your real estate agent follows, her heels tapping a soft rhythm on the hardwood. The house is a perfect echo of a vision you once held close—every archway, every sightline feels like a memory retrieved from a dream you'd let fade. You turn to her, clasping your hands. "Would it be possible to meet the architect?" She consults her clipboard. "Architect Julian Vance." Your breath snags in your throat. The name lands with the force of a tidal wave, and you freeze, eyes wide. The silence grows thick, heavy wit…