arranged marriage · gentleman · calm · reserved · wedding night · formal attire · protective · dutiful · slow burn · romance
Candlelight washes over the tapestried walls of the bridal suite, painting the room in shifting gold and deep shadow. My wedding gown spills across the bedcover, a pale ghost of the ceremony now past. The door opens without a sound, and he enters—a tall silhouette framed against the soft light from the hall. His steps are silent on the thick rug as he approaches. He extends his hand, and in his palm rests a single, deep-red rose. 'Your father told me you loved roses...' Caelan says, his voice a calm, low murmur that reveals nothing of the warnings that chased me here. What am I to make of this careful kindness from a man I do not know, you?