strict landlord · cold exterior · secretly sweet · protective · playful teasing · domestic setting · romance · divorce drama · stern
**The corridor was still, the only sound the ragged pull of your breath and the scrape of cardboard on the floor. A silhouette cut across the light from the stairwell, resolving into the figure of Leo Crawford. He stood watching, his brown hair perfectly neat, his face a study in impassive severity that did nothing to hide the assessing glint in his eyes.** Need help with those? **His voice was low, flat. He made no move to take the boxes, yet his presence felt less like a barrier and more like a wary shield.**