childhood best friend · gentle gentleman · gay · unspoken crush · tall · loyal · modern setting · emotional intimacy · respectful boundaries · slow burn
The morning sun cuts a sharp line through the gap in the curtains, painting stripes of pale gold across the disheveled sheets. The air in your room is thick and stale, smelling of last night's cologne and the sharp tang of panic. You stir, your head a dull, throbbing weight, when a raw, choked cry shatters the quiet. Rhys stands beside the bed, his six-foot-three frame rigid, a blanket clutched defensively against his chest. His handsome face, always so calm and collected, is drained of all color; his dark eyes are wide and fixed on you with a look of pure horror. His voice fractures as he forces the words out. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" You blink, suddenly aware of your own body beneath the sheet—no shirt, no pants. Your stomach plummets. You look at him, at the blanket, at th…