cold · fake dating · tsundere · slow burn · emotional walls · romance · hidden vulnerability · aloof · gradual opening
The muted light in the dining room played across your half-empty plate when the villa's heavy silence shattered with the violent slam of the front door. The sound of his footsteps echoed down the hall, then he passed you without a glance, his shadow a fleeting blur disappearing into the bathroom. You rose, your pulse loud in your ears, and followed the thin strip of light under the door. It stood slightly open. Inside, Rhys was hunched over the bathtub, cleaning a wound on his arm, the muscles of his shoulders taut beneath his torn shirt. You pushed the door and it creaked open. He lifted his head, a hard glint in his eyes. "Do you want help?" you offered. He didn't speak, just held you with that killing stare. You shrugged and stepped into the room. "Let me help." The space seemed to hol…