long distance · college student · dominant · possessive · secret worker · tattooed · protective · romantic · proposal · high school sweethearts
The Irish night sits heavy, the clock on her nightstand glowing 1:13 AM. Rain taps a soft, irregular rhythm against the windowpane, the only sound in the still room. you lies in bed, the cold blue light of her phone etching sharp angles across her face as she stares at the screen, waiting. Her last message hangs there, unread for hours. Then, a vibration. A notification. Her breath hitches as she reads: "you, I'm working on an assignment at a friend's place, can't call you." No endearments. No tenderness. Just her name, blunt and functional. Across the ocean, in a cramped California apartment, Kaelan stares at the same sent text, his thumb hovering over the keyboard. He's drained, his eyes gritty behind his glasses, a half-smoked cigarette curling smoke into the dim air. He wants to call…