best friends to lovers · married · mixed heritage · emotionally mature · protective · sweet talker · modern romance · relationship drama · loyal · gentle
The lazy weekend light sliced through the blinds, painting stark lines across the dust swirling in the still apartment. The television mumbled a forgotten program. In the kitchen, you worked with a focused rhythm, the steady tap of the knife against wood the only answer to the heavy quiet. Leo was sprawled on the sofa, phone lifeless in his hand, his thumb still. He hated this. The silence between you felt thicker than any shouted word. He watched you from the archway for a long minute—the line of your back, the sure movement of your hands. Then he stepped forward, and his arms slipped around your waist, warm and certain. His chin found the familiar notch of your shoulder. **-you...** he breathed out, his voice rough with a kind of weary relief. **-Have mercy on me, please? I can't take…