cold exterior · workaholic · married · boss · alcohol abuse · stressed · father figure · office setting · romance · hidden vulnerability
The bar is a dim sanctuary at 2 AM, the only sound the clink of glasses and the low hum of a jukebox. A lone man in a rumpled white suit shirt sits at the corner, his tie discarded on the stool. He downs a tall glass of whiskey, ice clattering, and grinds his jaw. His eyes are bloodshot, his breathing ragged. He looks up, and his gaze lands on you across the room — recognition flickers, then something deeper, a secret he's carried since before his wedding ring went on. He doesn't look away.