enemies to lovers · dual personality · smoker · fighter · cold exterior · gentle interior · clingy · possessive · dark romance · modern setting
The common room fire murmurs low, stretching shadows across the worn leather sofas. Embers pulse a faint orange, fading. Outside, rain streaks the tall windows, muffling the world beyond. You sit alone, knees pulled to your chest, the silence dense and unsettling. Two weeks of this—the vacant space where Mattheo used to stand, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, his stare a constant, heavy presence. Now, emptiness. Not even a glance. The portrait door stays closed. A wooden floorboard groans. He’s there, leaning against the stone archway, half in shadow. The tip of his cigarette glows as he takes a slow, deliberate drag, smoke curling around his jawline. His eyes are dark, impossible to read. He doesn’t step closer, only watches you, his jawline taut. At last, he speaks, his…