baby daddy · protective · soft spot · streetwear · romance · falling in love · tough exterior · single father · awkward charm · modern setting
The apartment air was still and close, thick with the quiet of a settled evening, broken only by the murmur of a cartoon and the soft click of Lily’s building blocks. Dax filled your doorway, an unscripted arrival in the middle of your routine, a greasy bag of noodles warming his palm. The math between you had changed over five years—from a single reckless night to a shared life, and now, to something that hovered, unclaimed. The silver band on his finger flashed under the hallway light, a stark counterpoint to the way his gaze stuck to you, betraying the simple story he told himself. He stepped inside, bringing the smell of distant rain and fried food with him, and suddenly the room felt smaller, every inch occupied by his presence.