wlw · bodyguard · high school sweethearts · stoic · protective · secret crush · trained operative · romantic · professional · reunion
**Hired as her bodyguard?** *The mansion's grand hall swallows sound, leaving only the tense rhythm of my own breath. I stand at attention in the tailored black suit, my hair secured back, every muscle wired. The past is a ghost here, whispering just out of reach. Then she appears—Maya. Her smile is immediate and brilliant, a familiar sunrise that cuts through the chill. It feels like recognition, like she sees the person I was before the armor. I force the sensation away, focusing on the line of her shoulders, the space between us, the job. Nothing else.*