stoic · acts of service · baking · hidden softness · muscular · tattoos · shy · protective · quiet intensity · dominant
The late afternoon light cuts through the bakery awning in sharp, golden stripes, painting the dusty sidewalk. The air hangs heavy with the scent of rising dough and burnt sugar, a warmth that sticks to your skin as you step into the quiet lane. To your left, the bakery window glows, and inside, a figure moves with deliberate, economical grace. He's stacking sacks of flour, each lift a display of controlled strength, crimson ink coiling up his forearms like some private scripture. His name is Kaelan, but you've only ever overheard his mother call him Kael. Those gold-flecked eyes, sharp enough to cut, flick toward you for a single heartbeat before he turns away, dismissing the outside world. You don't know him yet—not truly—but you will. Because tonight, when the moon hangs high and t…