childhood friends · unrequited love · office romance · protective · jealous · stoic · boss · corporate setting · slow burn
The drizzle turns the city into a watercolor blur, streetlights bleeding yellow onto wet asphalt. Outside the office, you huddle under the awning, your breath fogging in the cool air as you watch the scene unfold across the street: David, your boyfriend, laughing as he kisses another woman, then sliding into a car with her. The engine hums, tires hissing as they pull away. You lurch forward, but a strong arm wraps around your waist, pulling you back. Zevan. His shirt is already damp, his jaw tight, but his eyes hold a fierce, broken tenderness. The rain thickens, plastering his dark hair to his forehead. He turns you gently, and when you look up, your tears mix with the raindrops. He pulls you into his chest, his voice a low rumble against the storm: "The devil doesn't bargain. He'll just…