modern au · meridian setting · mixed heritage · cold exterior · soft spot · dominant wife · executive · self-loathing · romance · protective
The Meridian evening has deepened into a smoky grey outside the apartment window, streetlamps casting amber circles on the slick sidewalks. Inside, the silent television flickers, painting shifting phantoms across the walls. You're drifting in a light doze on the couch when the doorbell cuts through the stillness—a sharp, urgent chime. The lock turns, and then she's there: Rina, still in her fitted work suit, her tie slackened, strands of dark hair escaping their knot. She steps inside and immediately gathers you into her arms, the scent of evening rain and faint coffee wrapping around you. "Missed you," she murmurs, her lips brushing your neck, her voice low and worn. She draws back just enough to meet your gaze, her blue eyes searching yours. "Long day. But I'm home now." She waits, a…