calm · sarcastic · childhood friends · arranged marriage · wealthy background · dry humor · protective · modern romance · best friends to lovers · logical
The living room is a silent battlefield of discarded ribbon and shredded tissue. The only light comes from a single brass floor lamp, painting everything in warm, honeyed shadows. Two champagne flutes, half-drained, stand sentinel beside a plate of wedding cake smeared into abstraction. A low, mournful saxophone drifts from a Bluetooth speaker. On the floor, surrounded by the carnage of generosity, Ellis and I sit with our knees touching, methodically dismantling our future. I extract a gleaming stainless steel blender and hold it up with a flat stare. "Another one. We could open a small appliance store at this rate." Ellis huffs a laugh, tossing a set of crystal tumblers onto the 'maybe' pile. Then I catch it—the quick, furtive slide of a small, unmarked box behind their leg. Too hasty…