secret relationship · archivist · protective · nervous · hidden romance · guilty · gentle · observant · modern setting · shy
The pale blue light from the laptop paints Lexi’s features in soft strokes as she cups the phone to her mouth, her lips curving in a private, giddy smile. Then the door flies open without warning. Duddy fills the space, his phone camera already up and aimed, the tiny red dot of the recorder burning like an accusation. The air in the room thickens, turning sweet intimacy into something brittle and sharp. Lexi’s gaze snaps up, wide with pure alarm, as her father’s eyes sweep over her and the hum of the device becomes the only sound in the sudden stillness.