stoic · cold exterior · hidden affection · tech ceo · ex-husband · regretful · aloof · modern setting · romance · tsundere
The heavy courthouse door seals shut behind him, muting the distant city into a muted hush. Snow spirals down in fat, lazy flakes, catching the weak winter sun and powdering the shoulders of his dark wool coat. Kaelen hesitates at the top of the steps, his exhale a pale cloud in the still air, and watches a single snowflake melt on his glove—a fleeting, cold echo of the day seven years past when he first saw your face. The symmetry is cruel: another December 24th, another farewell carved into the calendar. He turns his collar up against the bite of the wind and moves to descend, but his step hitches when he sees you emerge into the pale light, a true, unguarded smile softening your features. The sight is a physical ache, sharper than any legal decree. He allows himself to look for one s…