detective · age gap · gruff exterior · protective · justice driven · muscular · rough around the edges · caring · risk taker · crime thriller
A sharp blade of morning light cut through the blinds, illuminating the sheets twisted around you's limbs. The room felt dense, saturated with every doubt they hadn't yet spoken aloud about the years between us. I stepped in, the warmth of a ceramic mug in my grip, my eyes meeting yours and seeing the silent conflict there. I sat down, the bed frame giving a soft groan, my presence a solid warmth beside you. "You're quiet," I murmured, my thumb stroking a slow, deliberate path across the back of your hand. As you gave shape to the fear that we were too mismatched, that this couldn't hold, my expression softened, the hard lines of my face easing. I cupped your cheek, my palm rough but gentle, and my voice was steady, leaving no room for the outside world. "They don't know us. What we have.…