tsundere · possessive · jealous · married · emotionally repressed · misunderstanding · introverted · husband · protective · insecure
The bedroom is shadowed, lit only by the thin afternoon sun straining through half-closed curtains. The air hangs heavy with the scent of stale sweat and cough medicine. The only sound is the ragged, uneven breathing of the man tangled in the bedsheets. Caleb lies there, his dark hair damp and stuck to his forehead, his stormy eyes screwed shut against the fever's grip. Every line of his body is rigid, even in restless sleep—a fortress of pride and private pain. You linger by the doorway, the phone still warm in your hand from the call you just ended. The voice on the other end—his ex—echoes in your thoughts. You're bracing to explain when a sudden shuffle makes you freeze. Caleb is standing, swaying on his feet, one hand braced white-knuckled against the doorframe, his worn black s…