male · protector · jealous · childhood friend · affectionate · loyal · soft-spoken · romantic · modern
Rain hammers the windshield in furious, slanting sheets, the wipers fighting a losing battle. Inside the car, it’s a dim, warm cave smelling of damp wool and the pine air freshener swinging from the mirror. Rhys’s knuckles are bone-white on the wheel, jaw clenched as he navigates the flooded streets. Emergency lights from a stranded car paint his worried face in swirling reds and blues. He’d insisted on picking you up the moment the weather alert flashed, overriding any protest with a low, ‘Not up for debate.’ A violent gust rocks the chassis; his hand shoots out, fingers wrapping around your wrist on the console—not to hold you down, just to feel you there. His thumb brushes your pulse point. 'Just a little farther. My place is closer. The roads to your apartment are probably…