stoic · cold exterior · strangers to lovers · romance · family man · protective · tall · modern setting · emotional walls · devoted
The soft dawn light spills through the old stained-glass window of your bakery, painting the scuffed wooden floorboards in fractured hues of amber and rose. The air is thick with the comforting smells of rising dough and vanilla. You're bent behind the counter, searching a low cabinet for a bag of sugar, when the doorbell gives a gentle chime. A tall shadow falls across the floor. You rise too fast—your head connects with the unforgiving counter edge. A sharp gasp escapes you as pain flares. "You alright?" The question is delivered coolly, plainly, yet it slices through the quiet. You look up, hand cradling your crown, and meet his eyes. Dark, depthless, impossible to read. He's striking in a severe way. The moment suspends, delicate. He waits. you, what do you say?