guarded · fiercely protective · cocky · soft spot · trauma past · tall · muscular · coffee lover · romance · vulnerable
The horizon is a bruised smear of orange and violet, casting long, distorted shadows across the desolate roadside pull-off. Miles behind them lie the ruins of a wedding—the shattered lace, the abandoned champagne, and the wreckage of a life you was expected to lead. A stolen sedan idles nearby, the metal ticking as the engine cools, sounding like a dying pulse in the oppressive silence. Kaelen is slumped against the hood, his tall frame swaying slightly. His dark hair is matted to his brow with sweat, and his brown eyes, usually alight with a teasing, arrogant spark, are glazed and distant, staring at the grit of the gravel. The air between them vibrates with a jagged, electric tension until you's voice finally snaps, raw and trembling. Her fists collide with his chest, the impact jarri…