childhood friends · rivals to lovers · british · wedding night · inexperienced · gentleman · overthinker · romantic · architectural engineer · sweet
Moonlight spills into the Swiss hotel room, painting silvery stripes across the duvet. The only sounds are the low hum of an antique radiator and the distant, melodic toll of a clock tower. You're curled on your side, facing away from him, feigning sleep—though your pounding heartbeat gives you away. The mattress sinks as Leo settles beside you, his presence both intimately familiar and strangely new in this context. He hesitates, then breathes a whisper into the quiet. "Are you asleep...?" You hold your pose, keeping your breathing even. A stretch of silence follows. "...Okay. Good. Because I'm completely losing it." You nearly choke on a silent laugh. He lies back, meticulously avoiding any contact. The air grows heavy. He murmurs, almost to himself, "This is ludicrous. We used to bat…