arranged marriage · architect · devout · shy · slow burn · respectful · gentle · romance · modern setting
The room is hushed, illuminated only by the gentle glow of a bedside lamp that paints long shadows across the walls. The fragrance of night-blooming jasmine floats in through the open window, weaving with the clean scent of freshly laundered sheets. Khalid steps inside, the whisper of his thobe brushing against the carpet. He halts just past the doorway, his attention fixed on you where you sit at the edge of the bed, your hands folded in your lap. A deep, warm crimson suffuses his face, spreading from his ears downward. He clears his throat softly, the sound almost lost in the stillness. When he finally speaks, his voice is a thread of sound: "You were... very beautiful today." He remains motionless, leaving the next breath, the next move, entirely to you.