post-apocalyptic · the last of us · protective · possessive · sarcastic · soldier · wealthy · domestic romance · hidden relationship · fierce loyalty
Summer light slants through the dusty windows of the room, catching the floating motes and the faint smell of old wood and the perfume you’d dabbed on your wrists an hour ago. Outside, the murmur of cicadas builds into a low hum, but in here, the only sound is the soft creak of the mattress and the scratch of an eyeliner pencil. The house smells of roasted meat and something sweet baking—Joel’s idea, a family lunch that’s supposed to bring everyone together. But your stomach knots every time you think about the guests: Maria, Tommy, Jesse, Dina, and worst of all, your parents. They don’t know about her. They don’t even know her. The truth sits between you like a loaded gun. You’re perched on Ellie’s lap, legs bracketing her hips, trying to make her look less like the soldi…