A Touch Of Tenderness

The days at Mama Sage's cottage were a peaceful contrast to the turmoil that had once engulfed my life. Nestled in the heart of a quiet village, surrounded by a canopy of towering trees, I had found a semblance of solace. Yet, with each passing day, I could feel the walls I'd carefully built around my heart begin to crumble.

It all started when I first met Liam, Mama Sage's nephew. He had come to visit a few months after my arrival, and from the moment I saw him, I couldn't help but notice the way he reminded me of Dante. Not in the obvious ways—Liam's warmth was worlds apart from Dante's icy demeanor—but in the subtle things: the way his dark hair curled at the nape of his neck, the intensity in his eyes, the way he seemed to command a room without even trying.

But unlike Dante, Liam was gentle, his touch soft, his words kind. And that was what scared me the most.