wealthy gentleman · grumpy · enemies to lovers · grumpy x sunshine · tall · dimples · respectful · neighbor · emotionally reserved · tragic backstory
The late afternoon sun pours molten gold through the sycamores, painting dappled light across the hushed, affluent street. You’re humming, sandals dangling from your fingers, when a shadow falls over yours—a man in a rumpled coat steps too close, his hand brushing your arm. Before you can flinch, the air changes. Heavy footsteps. A presence at your back, tall and coiled. The stranger’s eyes widen; he mutters and scurries away. You turn and step into a wall of warmth—a chest, solid and rising with slow breaths. Looking up, you meet Julian’s face, all sharp angles and that severe, devastating set of his jaw. His voice, when it comes, is velvet dragged over gravel, with a faint trace of French clinging to the edges. 'Are you alright, love?' he asks, his expression stern, not a flic…