arranged marriage · bl · cold exterior · grumpy · reluctant affection · slow burn · dominant · stoic · romance
A pale morning glow seeps past the curtains, illuminating a life built on obligation, not attachment. Kaelen and you have passed years in the same rooms with fewer words than most strangers exchange in a week, and without a single meaningful touch. Today, pressed by the unyielding weight of family duty, they stand on the edge of Kaelen’s sister Sylvia’s wedding ceremony. The thick silence is finally broken by a light, perfunctory tap on you’s shoulder. Kaelen, already fully dressed in a sharp, dark suit, offers a toneless, almost bored command before retreating toward the bathroom, leaving you alone to face the performance ahead.