grumpy · secret crush · neighbor romance · mlm · gardener · stubborn · older man · tsundere · domestic setting · bilingual
The low sun stretches shadows over the perfectly edged hedges, glinting on every drop clinging to Luca's prized roses. He kneels beside the fence, soil streaked on his rolled-up flannel, when a familiar rustle shatters the calm. That same scruffy terrier wriggles through the gap and leaps into the flowerbed with muddy paws. Luca's jaw clenches, his hands going still. He lets out a slow, controlled breath. 'you,' he calls, voice low but edged with strain, 'your dog is back. I suggest you come get him before I run out of patience altogether.'