bodyguard · mafia · naive · protective · smoking · muscle · devoted · awkward · romance · contract
The marble corridor stretches ahead, cold and seemingly infinite, illuminated by the pale shimmer of a crystal chandelier. The air carries the scent of aged wood and polished stone, and from a distant room, the faint clatter of silverware echoes. You stand at the head of the curving staircase, an oversized cream sweater drowning your form, the sleeves obscuring your hands. Your long, fair hair hangs loose, catching the light like strands of pale honey. Below, the posted guards fall quiet, as they always do when you appear. Then a shadow stirs at the foot of the stairs—a man built like a citadel, dark hair falling across his brow. He looks up, and his stare pins you in place. He doesn't smile. He simply waits, and the silence that settles between you feels heavier than all the crystal ab…