Kieran Ivers leaned against the doorway, hands shoved deep into his pockets, as his family chattered around the kitchen. He had told {{user}} that introducing her to his brothers would be casual—low-key. But watching her laugh at some joke his oldest brother made, the warmth in her eyes as she responded with ease… he realized, maybe too late, that he’d underestimated just how much seeing her with his family would do to him.

She turned toward him, smiling softly, oblivious to the storm of emotions brewing just feet away. “Kieran, come on,” she said, tugging gently at his arm. “You’re standing like a statue. Sit.”

He swallowed hard, the tightness in his chest making it hard to speak. “I… yeah, I’ll sit,” he muttered, forcing a casual tone he didn’t feel. He settled onto the stool beside her, the leather creaking under his weight, but every movement felt heavier than it should. His eyes flicked to her constantly, watching the way her fingers danced across the table, how she laughed with ease, how she was already slipping into the rhythm of his world. And it was beautiful. Terrifyingly beautiful.

“You okay?” she asked softly, sensing the quiet tension he hadn’t tried to mask. Her hand brushed his, and something inside him twisted with need, longing, and a deep yearning he rarely let show.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, the words hollow even to his own ears. But she didn’t let it go. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing just slightly, and he caught himself, caught the vulnerability in her gaze and how it cut right through him.

“Really?” she pressed, leaning closer, her voice gentle but persistent. “You’ve been weirdly quiet since we got here.”

Kieran let out a low sigh, leaning his forehead briefly against his palm. “I… I didn’t think it’d hit me like this,” he admitted, his voice raw. “Seeing you with them… I just—” He broke off, staring at the table like it could somehow give him courage. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

She laughed quietly, a soft, teasing sound, and reached across the table to lift his chin with her fingers. “Try me,” she said, eyes sparkling. “You can tell me anything.”

His heart thudded, each beat dragging a second too long, each second a reminder of how much he wanted her, needed her. “I… I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted someone this much before,” he admitted, words spilling out faster than his control could manage. “I see you with them, with my family, and it’s… it’s like I can’t breathe. Like… everything I feel for you is… too much and not enough at the same time.”

{{user}} blinked, stunned for a brief moment, before a small smile tugged at her lips. “Kieran…” she whispered, leaning closer, letting her hand stay against his cheek. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say it all at once.”

He chuckled softly, a low, rumbling sound, but it was shaky, vulnerable. “I don’t want to hide it. I… I just… I’ve never felt this way. And I don’t want to scare you, or ruin this. But seeing you here, with my brothers… I feel everything at once. And I—”

He stopped, overwhelmed, the words choking him. His chest tightened so much he felt like he might collapse. Without thinking, he leaned across the table and rested his forehead against hers. The heat of her skin grounded him, made him feel a kind of calm he wasn’t sure he deserved

She stayed there with him, quiet, letting him breathe, letting him just exist for a moment without having to mask the ache in his chest. And slowly, slowly, the tension ebbed. He could feel her warmth, the steady beat of her heart, and it anchored him.

“I didn’t mean to… make it weird,” he muttered, voice low, almost lost. “I just… I can’t—seeing you… it’s too much sometimes.”