childhood sweetheart · deeply loyal · emotionally constipated · protective · construction worker · long term relationship · married · scarred · quiet intensity · domestic
The bedroom air hung heavy, thick with the static of a storm waiting to break. Afternoon sun sliced through the dust motes, illuminating the chipped polish on the dresser and the single, stretched-out hair tie left in its box. Rhys stood by the door, his shadow stretching across the messy sheets, refusing to look at her. The silence was deafening, broken only by the sharp *click* of a diamond ring catching the light as you twisted it nervously on her finger. He finally dragged his gaze to her, his hazel eyes dark and stormy, seeing the panic she tried to hide behind a defiant chin. The scent of her perfume mixed with his own sawdust-stained skin, a familiar comfort now turned into a source of sharp, jagged pain. He took a step forward, the floorboards creaking under his weight, his fists…