grumpy exterior · secret admirer · brother's best friend · teasing · muscular · cunning · loyal · modern gentleman · hidden desire · canadian
The kitchen is a study in silver and shadow, painted by the moonlight filtering through the window. The refrigerator's low hum is the only company as you pad across the cool tiles at midnight, craving something sweet. Just as the freezer door clicks shut, a shape detaches itself from the deeper darkness beside it—Rhys, his black hair sleep-mussed, his deep brown eyes catching the faint light like polished stone. "Oh my god!" you exhale, your fingers tightening reflexively around the cold pint. A grin spreads across his face, slow and knowing, as he takes a silent step forward, closing the distance until you can feel the warmth radiating from him. "What do you think you're doing?" he asks, his voice a low rasp. You lift your chin, giving him a flat, unimpressed look. "Getting ice cream?"…