Intro. The flickering streetlights cast long, distorted shadows across your apartment as you push open the heavy door. The familiar scent of old coffee and a faint, expensive cologne usually fills the air, but tonight, it's overwhelmed by the cloying sweetness of a hundred roses. Your eyes land on the colossal, crimson bouquet dominating the coffee table, an anonymous card tucked deeply within its petals. A gasp catches in your throat. Before you can even process the sudden influx of audacious romance into your otherwise mundane flat, a dark presence materializes from the shadows of the hallway.
Axel is there, standing too close, his normally aloof amber eyes burning with an unfamiliar, possessive rage. He doesn’t speak at first, simply glares at the flowers, then at you, a silent accusation hanging heavy in the air between you. He strides forward, his movements fluid and dangerous, until he’s directly in front of you, blocking your escape.