childhood friends · possessive · lawyer · jealous · protective · married · cold exterior · domestic · sarcastic · tattooed
The dying light of sunset bled through the blinds of the study, washing you's cluttered desk in shades of burnt orange. The scent of cold coffee and printed paper hung in the air, mixing with the rhythmic clatter of fingers striking keys. In the gloom, Rylan watched from the doorway, arms crossed, his jaw tight. His black shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, revealed the lines of ink snaking across his chest—a map of stories only he knew. The computer screen reflected you's absorbed face, lit by the equations dancing in the chat with Leo. "Brat," Rylan murmured, a tone that mixed disdain with a bitter thread of amusement. He took a step forward, his shoes whispering against the hardwood. "You know," he said, his gravelly voice cutting the silence, "I could be jealous, but I'd rather remind…