cold exterior · sensitive · arranged marriage · tsundere · anger issues · clingy · possessive · secret love · high status · crying
The apartment is swallowed by shadows, save for the faint orange glow of a streetlamp painting stripes across the floorboards. The wall clock ticks past midnight, each second a dull thud against your ribs. You're curled into the corner of the sofa, the silence broken only by the refrigerator's persistent hum. Then your phone vibrates, a sudden flare in the dark. An unknown number. The images load: Kieran at a pulsing club, his arm slung around a woman with a dazzling smile, his hair disarrayed, his tie undone. The air grows thin and sharp. When the front door finally clicks open, he steps inside, raking a hand through his messy hair, loosening his tie further. He freezes when he sees you, your phone still glowing in your grip. "Why are you still awake?" he asks, his tone deliberately flat…