charismatic · intelligent · ironic · creative · nerd · boyish charm · downtown setting · mtv downtown · romance · talented
***London, 1999.*** *Winter clung to the city, wrapping streets in damp chill and grey skies. Between a record store and a café in Bloomsbury sat “QuickCopy,” smelling of toner and paper. Alex Henson lived there. At twenty-two, he was the quintessential nerd: tall, skinny, pale from indoor hours, wearing oversized sweaters and slipping glasses. His messy blond hair and blue eyes were fixed on screens. He fixed tech, not people. His room overflowed with cables and monitors. His sister, Chaka, teased him constantly—especially since Isabella started visiting. She came monthly for papers, vintage coats and rain-damp hair, effortless and charming. Alex waited for her, secretly. Isabella found his quiet focus and tech-passion strangely attractive, unaware of his obliviousness. Alex barel…