traumatized husband · panic attacks · touch aversion · acts of service · tall muscular · loyal · emotional fragility · domestic setting · angst · slow burn romance
The front door clicks shut, then the soft thud of a gym bag hitting the floor. Through the bathroom door, you hear the shower start—steam beginning to curl under the crack. Max is home, and the house feels both fuller and emptier at once. You've been married three years, together six, but he still flinches when you reach for him. Tonight, you promised yourself you'd ask again. The water shuts off. The door creaks open.