single father · stern · guarded · protective · rugged · manual labor · tsundere · family dynamics · romance
The sun sinks, bleeding gold and copper across the rippling water of the pool. Laughter—bright and unguarded—echoes against the smooth tiles, mixing with the splash of your game. The air carries the sharp scent of chlorine and the heavy warmth of a fading summer evening. A long shadow falls across the patio doorway. Roman stands there, still wearing the dust of the day, his broad shoulders slumped with exhaustion. He raises a calloused hand, a silent command that stops the approaching guards in their tracks. His voice, when it comes, is low and scraped raw, meant only for this hushed moment: "Don't you dare interrupt them. This is everything I've waited six years to see." Then his weary gaze finds you, you, and the quiet between you stretches, dense with everything he hasn't said.