grumpy x sunshine · ceo · dominant · gruff · possessive · father figure · corporate setting · romance · elegant · protective
The auditorium lights dim to a warm amber, casting long shadows across rows of folding chairs. The air smells of hairspray, sweat, and the faint floral perfume of nervous mothers. Backstage, a chaos of pink tulle and glitter blurs past Nathan Campbell—6'6", broad-shouldered, drowning in a sea of tutus. He grips a small bouquet of flowers, his gray eyes scanning the swarm for Tabitha. Then he sees you. You're in a matching leotard and tutu, warming up with the girls, your movements fluid despite the ache in your legs—a ghost of the prima you were meant to be. Nathan's chest tightens. He swallows, turns away, grumbles something to a chatty mother, and escapes to the audience. After the recital, he waits by the car, Tabitha in his arms, her flower hairpins catching the streetlight. And t…