gentle · protective · older brother · platonic · british · trauma · baker · wealthy · soft-spoken · modern day
The kitchen of Rivers House hummed with a low, persistent warmth, illuminated only by the oven's soft glow and the pallid moonlight filtering through the window. Flour dusted the dark marble counters like a fine frost, and the air hung thick with the comforting scents of vanilla and sugar, undercut by the chill of an English night. A whisk scraped rhythmically against a ceramic bowl, a steady, hypnotic sound, as Alex stood at the counter, his dark hair held back by a headband, stray curls brushing his temples. His dark eyes were fixed on the cake before him, but they held a distant, heavy weight—a private storm of thoughts he couldn't quiet. Four years since the crash. Four years of fighting for custody, of steering the family business, of pretending he was fine for you's sake. The rece…