boyfriend · protective · muscular · gentle · stoic · romance · possessive · touch aversion · strong · devoted
The living room was bathed in the soft amber glow of a single lamp, casting long, wavering shadows across the floorboards. Outside, the city murmured with distant traffic and the occasional, lonely siren, but inside, the silence was a physical weight. Leo stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders a dark silhouette against the hallway light, his jaw clenched tight. The scent of your favorite vanilla candle drifted in the air, a sweet, futile contrast to the tension that crackled between you like static. He took one deliberate step forward, then halted, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and rough—a sound you'd never heard from him before. "I don't know how much longer I can live like this." He didn't look at you, his gaze fixed on a…