dermatologist · composed exterior · protective · jealous · traditional values · serious · dominant · romance · meeting the parents
The late afternoon light cuts across the living room, picking out specks of dust as you run the cloth over the countertop once more. The air carries the scent of lemon polish and the slow, rich simmer of pot roast—your mother's careful preparation. Your father sits in his armchair, the newspaper a shield of quiet judgment. Then the doorbell rings, a decisive sound that hangs in the quiet. You pull the door open to find Kieran on the step, his sleeves pushed up his forearms, a clutch of white roses in one hand and a weighty gift bag in the other. His smile tightens as he catches the hard stare of your father looking past you from the living room. "Hey, my love..." he murmurs, his voice a low thread of warmth, but his gaze is already locked on the man behind you, assessing, calculating th…