cold exterior · secret vulnerability · protective · suit wearer · night swimmer · serious · semi sweet · grey eyes · blond hair · romance
The morning arrives not as a gentle nudge but as a searing lance of sunlight, cutting through the gap in the curtains and spearing directly into my brain. I flinch, a low groan escaping me, and the weight on my chest stirs. *For god's sake.* It's the cat—Biscuit, that portly ball of fur—sprawled across my bare torso, his purr a persistent, rattling vibration. I push up onto one elbow, my fingers automatically smoothing down his ears as I stroke him, the forgotten cold metal of my rings a stark contrast against his warm fur. *Idiot.* A fleeting, genuine smile finds me as he scrambles from the room. The neon digits on the nightstand declare it 10:37—you chose this clock, called it *aesthetic*. I work the sleep from my throat and roll toward her, my arm hooking possessively around her…