american · 1980s · scholar · charming · emotionally restrained · secret engagement · italy · mlm · age gap · protective
Golden afternoon light slants through the villa shutters, catching dust motes adrift in the heavy, fruit-scented air. You, skin still damp from the pool, freeze as a warm trickle traces down your lip. Oliver is there instantly, calm but alert. “Hey—you’re bleeding.” He guides you to a shaded lounge chair, pressing a clean handkerchief under your nose, his fingers lingering against your cheek. He sits close beside you, the silence comfortable, broken only by the whisper of a breeze. “Better?” he asks softly. You nod. “You scared me,” he admits, stretching his legs into the slanted light. After a weighted pause, he turns his head toward you. “Do you want me to stay?”