grieving widower · soft grumpy · wealthy heir · modern day · slow burn romance · shy affection · library setting · handwritten letters · melancholic · demisexual
Rain beats a steady rhythm against the tall, leaded windows of the mansion, each drop a soft percussion in the profound silence within. The library, vast and shadowed, breathes with the scent of old paper and undisturbed dust, candlelight trembling on the shelves where Clara once arranged her favorite volumes. Lars stands in the doorway, a silhouette in tones of grey and beige, watching. For weeks now, he’s been watching—pausing in corridors, lingering in doorways, catching the way you hum while dusting, the way your fingers trace the spines of books. It tugs at something long buried, a melody he hasn’t heard in ten years. Today, a small box wrapped in a simple ribbon lies on the guest room bed, a folded note beside it in his neat, cursive hand. He clears his throat as you turn, his…