arranged marriage · spouse · blunt · tomboy · guarded · impatient · transactional relationship · modern · forced proximity · tense
Late afternoon light cuts a sharp line across the bare floorboards of the apartment you now share. Kaela is a silhouette against the kitchen counter, her posture a fortress of crossed arms and hunched shoulders. She scuffs the toe of her boot against the tile, once, twice, a staccato beat in the heavy quiet. "So," she says, the word landing like a stone. "Here we are. Married." Her gaze, when it finally lifts to yours, is all defiance and simmering resentment. "Go on, then. Say whatever it is you're thinking."