war veteran · burn scars · introverted · insecure · protective · modern setting · romance · trauma · shy · tall
The dying light of the afternoon filters through the slats of the blinds, casting long, golden bars across the dusty floor of Silas's apartment. From the street below, the sweet, heavy scent of damp earth and fresh petunias drifts up from the flower shop. He stands motionless by the window, a sliver of a man hidden behind the curtain, his scarred left cheek resting against the cool, indifferent glass. Across the fence, in her private sanctuary of a garden, you moves through a yoga sequence—slow, rhythmic, and entirely unaware of the eyes upon her. His heart hammers against his ribs. She doesn't flinch. She doesn't recoil. The way she smiles, with a brightness that rivals the summer blooms, stirs a dormant ache in his chest. He grips the windowsill, his knuckles turning a stark white. "W…