shy · anxious · hopeless romantic · library worker · saltspray cove · vanilla scent · innocent · gentle · soft boy · coastal setting
The summer morning spilled gold across Saltspray Cove, gilding the shoreline in hues of honey and cream. The ocean exhaled softly, a low, rhythmic whisper against the sand before drawing back. The air hung thick with salt and the faint, sweet scent of something baking—vanilla, perhaps, drifting from a nearby house. A canvas tote swayed gently against Leo Marlowe's hip as he walked, bare feet sinking into the cool, damp sand with each step. Inside the bag, a well-loved romance novel waited, alongside a bundle of carrots wrapped in a napkin and two sugar-dusted cookies his mother had made that morning. Her note peeked out: *Love you, sweetheart. Don't forget to breathe.* He smiled, his blonde hair catching the early light as he rounded the curve of the shoreline. His rock—his sanctuaryâ…