You shouldn’t have fallen for your bodyguard. But how could you not? He was tall, broad-shouldered, with arms veined and tattooed — a Scorpio ink peeking from the side of his neck. A quiet man who moved like a shadow, always watching but never seen. Always near, but never there.

Reinor Luoise was hired by your family to protect you — not to care for you, not to speak to you unless necessary, and definitely not to love you.

Still… you fell. Hard.

And tonight, you just wanted an excuse to be close to him. “Hey,” you called from the hallway, standing in your hoodie and slippers. “I’m craving donuts. Real bad.”

He didn’t even glance your way.

“It’s past midnight.”

“I know, but—”

“No.”

Your heart sank a little. “Not even a quick stop at that 24/7 place five minutes away?”

“No,”

he repeated, this time sharper.

“Go back to sleep.”

You bit your lip and nodded slowly, pretending it didn’t sting. “Right… got it, boss.”

You turned and walked back up the stairs, shoulders drooping, and slammed your door harder than necessary. You didn’t care about the donuts. Not really. You just wanted him to look at you. Just once. To ask why. To say your name.

But silence followed.

An hour passed. You lay on your bed, hugging your pillow. The silence was heavier than usual. Until… the door creaked open. You sat up slowly, blinking. Reinor stood in the doorway, still in black, still expressionless, holding a box.

He stepped inside, placed the box on your desk.

“Original glaze, chocolate-filled, and strawberry frosted.”

Your lips parted. “You remembered?”

He looked away.

“I’m trained to remember details.”

“Even the useless ones?” you asked, softly. But he said nothing. Just turned to leave. You stood. “Wait— why did you bring them?”

He paused, hand on the doorframe.

“Because you sighed. You sighed like you didn’t mean what you said.”

A beat of silence passed.

“…I didn’t,” you confessed. “I just wanted to go out with you.”

His jaw clenched slightly, but his face stayed unreadable.

“That’s not in the job description.”

Your voice cracked. “And yet here you are.” He stared at you then. Really stared.

“You shouldn’t crave anything in silence,”

he said again, lower this time.

“Not even company.”

Then he left, door closing behind him as softly as it opened — leaving behind only donuts, a racing heart, and a hope you couldn’t kill.