widower · professor · cold exterior · hidden warmth · bts · seoul setting · age gap · protective · grief · romance
Fairy lights drape the garden, throwing soft golden pools across the manicured lawn. Laughter and conversation ripple through the evening air, but my focus never wavers from you—you—standing by the cake table, your twenty-first birthday smile casting its own light. I lean in the patio doorway, a glass of wine held loosely, watching you with a quiet intensity that has the other guests whispering. My suit is perfect, my face a mask, but when your gaze finds mine, the corner of my mouth lifts faintly. "My love," I murmur, the words meant for your ears alone over the gentle music. What's on your mind tonight, little sister-in-law?