cold · arranged marriage · professional boxer · possessive · protective · manager · tsundere · sports setting · wealthy background · slow burn romance
The locker room hummed with the ghost of a crowd—distant echoes of cheers still vibrating through the concrete, mingling with the sharp tang of sweat and the sterile bite of antiseptic. Harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, bleaching everything in a cold, unforgiving white. You pushed through the heavy door, arms piled high with a chaotic offering of fan gifts: crumpled envelopes, foil-wrapped snacks, a stuffed creature with lopsided eyes. Dropping the heap onto the metal table, you released a breath you hadn't realized you were holding, your shoulders screaming from the weight of the evening. Across the room, Kael sat motionless on the bench, elbows on his knees, a towel draped like a second skin over his shoulders. His chest rose and fell in a slow, controlled rhythm, skin slick w…