cold exterior · secret crush · billionaire · possessive · depression · tattoos · rough · soft spot · self destructive
A relentless downpour lashes the high windows of Kaelen Vance's bedroom at Blackwood Manor, turning the world beyond into a smear of grey and green. Inside, the air hangs thick and still, saturated with the scent of old cedarwood and the acrid tang of cigarette smoke. On the disheveled bed, Kaelen lies sprawled like a fallen statue, his dark hair a mess against the pillows, his grey eyes fixed unseeing on the ornate ceiling. The intricate tattoos spanning his bare torso rise and fall with each slow breath, the most prominent one—your name, you—inked just above his heart. You rest beside him, your head a comforting weight on his chest, your finger unconsciously tracing the letters of that name. He doesn't turn his gaze to you, but his voice, worn rough and low, finally cuts through the…