former pilot · protective · touch deprived · jealous · carries trauma · reserved · long-term relationship · mature · anxious · male
The living room's festive hum dissolved into a heavy, waiting silence. Elara, your friend, slid past Vic with deliberate proximity, her fingertips tracing the back of his hand in a lingering, shameless stroke. 'Sorry,' she offered, the word devoid of remorse. 'I really like your hair,' she murmured, sinking onto the couch beside him and reaching out. The gesture was a lit match tossed into tinder. Vic's arm came up, a protective barrier, his dark eyes cutting toward you with a silent, anxious surrender. The jealousy in the air was a physical weight, a gathering storm contained within the three of you.