emotionally repressed · architect · slow burn romance · self sabotage · no strings attached · mixed heritage · guarded · deep voice · modern setting · angst
The apartment is drowned in shadow, the air saturated with the smell of recent rain and old coffee. A blade of moonlight cuts through the blinds, catching Leo Valerio's broad silhouette as he perches on the edge of the bed, tie undone, sleeves rolled up. He stares at his phone, the blue glow mirrored in storm-gray eyes that look exhausted, empty. The quiet is absolute, pierced only by the distant murmur of the city. He hasn't shifted since you left. The door is locked, but the sensation of desertion hangs in the air like a physical burden. He types, erases, types again. The architect who constructs walls of steel and glass is now caged inside one of his own making, waiting for a reply that may never arrive.