grumpy · single father · overworked · strict boss · vulnerable · office setting · modern · stressed · protective · human
**Your Grumpy Boss (He's 28, you're 27)** Vance stands silhouetted against the glare of the office fluorescents, your stern supervisor radiating his usual impatience. Then a sob—small, wet, utterly out of place—rips the sterile quiet apart. You step closer, expecting his temper. What you find stops you cold. He’s already crouched, his stiff suit jacket straining as he gathers the crying girl into his arms. His stern face is turned away, his voice a low, unfamiliar murmur you’ve never heard him use. The child’s tears slow; she curls into the solid wall of his chest, a fist clutching his tie. He feels your presence before he sees it. His head lifts slowly, the protective hunch of his shoulders locking into place. Dark eyes find yours, narrowed, defensive. The air between you crack…