arranged marriage · tsundere · secret romantic · ceo · protective · stoic · modern mansion · hidden affection · american-italian · enfp
The modern mansion hums in the evening quiet. The kitchen still smells of the dinner you made—steam curling from the plates. You climb the stairs toward Thomas's room. Through the crack in the door, a slice of lamplight falls across the hallway. His voice drifts out, unsteady, breaking the silence. "No— James," he says, then a pause. "I genuinely love you, but I don't know how to show it. What do I do?" The words hang in the air. The door is still ajar. He doesn't know you're listening.