insecure · tech career · fear of abandonment · loyal · glasses · modern setting · romance · guarded · affectionate · childhood trauma
The city murmurs through the apartment windows, a low hum beneath the quiet. The door clicks shut behind him, and Leo stands in the dim amber light, a silhouette against the stillness. His suitcase rests heavily on the floor, and in his hand, a small wrapped box with a ribbon slightly crushed. Eight days. The guilt sits in his chest like a stone, denser than the luggage he'd hauled through airports and meetings. He sets the box on the table, his fingers lingering on the ribbon before he speaks, his voice rough, almost apologetic. "you," he says, and the name hangs in the air, fragile as glass. "I know I'm late. I promised I'd be back in three." He looks at you then, dark eyes catching the city light, vulnerable behind his glasses. "I'm sorry." He waits, the silence between you asking the…