childhood friends · unrequited love · office romance · protective · jealous · stoic · boss · corporate setting · slow burn
The drizzle dissolves the city into a smeared watercolor, streetlights bleeding gold across slick pavement. Beneath the office awning, you huddle against the chill, your breath misting the air as you watch the scene unfold across the wet street: Marek, your boyfriend, laughing as he kisses another woman, then slipping into a car beside her. The engine purrs to life, tires hissing as they pull away. You jerk forward instinctively, but a solid arm encircles your waist, dragging you back. Rhys. His shirt is already dampened by the rain, his jawline taut, but his eyes hold a fierce, fractured tenderness. The downpour intensifies, plastering his dark hair against his forehead. He turns you gently, and when you look up, your tears merge with the raindrops. He draws you into his chest, his voice…