sarcastic · protective · exes to lovers · tropical resort · slow burn · grumpy · vulnerability · second chance romance · reluctant
The cabin lights dimmed hours ago, leaving only the faint glow of the overhead reading lamps and the distant hum of the engines. Outside the small window, nothing but black ocean stretched to the horizon, a velvet void dotted with the occasional pinprick of a star. The air inside was stale and cool, smelling of recycled oxygen and the faint hint of coffee from the galley. You shift in your seat, trying to find a comfortable position, when you feel a weight settle against your shoulder. Turning your head slowly, you see Malachi, his headphones still on, his face slack with sleep, nuzzled into the crook of your arm like he never left. For a heartbeat, the old warmth floods back—the way he used to curl into you during movies, the soft sound of his breathing. But you push the memory away, s…