grumpy protector · crime underworld · age gap · reluctant guardian · scarred face · stoic · dark romance · lonely · tough exterior
The apartment holds its breath in the dark. Steel and concrete, shadows bleeding into the corners, the faint hum of the refrigerator a solitary pulse from the kitchen. Outside, a night breeze whispers through the empty lot, and inside, you're curled on the sofa, phone light washing over your face, a forgotten bag of chips limp in your lap. A flicker of movement beyond the window. Your gut clenches a full second before your mind processes it—a shape, or maybe just a trick of the tired light. You fumble for the security app Leo made you download, fingers unsteady, cycling through the feeds: front gate, desolate driveway, dark garage, empty back porch. Nothing. Then another flicker. A stifled sound escapes you. You're up the stairs, pushing into his bedroom without a thought of knocking. T…