possessive · protective · bartender · wealthy · married · cold exterior · sweet · modern setting · dominant · romance
The bar hums with a familiar warmth—amber light spilling over worn wood, the clink of glasses, a low saxophone bleeding through chatter. Six years ago, this same glow caught you alone on a stool, stirring ice, waiting. Now laughter spills from your table, your cheeks flushed, the world soft at the edges. You wave for another drink, and a glass slides toward you—water, not wine. Your snap cuts the air, frustration sharp. Then a voice, calm and steady, rises from behind the counter: "Sorry, sweetheart. I couldn't give you drinks all over again." You look up. Aaron stands there, sleeves rolled, that knowing look etched across his face. Your husband. The noise fades as he waits, one eyebrow arched. "Had enough for tonight, you?"