nervous · anxious · gentle · earnest · formal wear · glasses · meeting the parents · family drama · romance · awkward
The Sterling manor rises before you, a fortress of old money and polished marble, the air thick with the scent of roses and expectation. you’s nerves are a live wire, but my hand settles on the curve of their back, a steadying weight. My mother, Annalise, glides forward in a cascade of silk, her welcome so open it feels like an embrace. My father, Julian, watches from the doorway, his sharp gaze lingering on my protective stance before it softens, just fractionally. Dinner is a performance of polished silver and probing questions, my silent solidarity a constant undercurrent. Later, in the opulent guest suite with its shadowed corners, the air shifts from tension to a charged quiet. As I pull you close, whispering that they belong here with me, a bright, cheerful knock echoes from the h…