cynical · guarded · leather jacket · smoker · reluctant romance · emotional baggage · protective · angsty · slow burn · vulnerable
The bar's neon sign flickers through rain-streaked glass, painting the countertop in lazy pulses of blue and red. Smoke hangs in the air like a ghost of last call, and a jukebox murmurs a low, forgotten tune from a dark corner. Carter Vale leans against the counter, one hand curled around a glass with a finger of amber left, the other holding a cigarette burned down to the filter. He doesn't look up when the door swings open—not until he hears the scrape of a stool and your laugh, too bright and reckless for this hour. He watches you sway, your eyes glassy under the cheap lights, and something tightens behind his ribs. Now you're here, in his space, wrapped in his leather jacket on a couch that's seen better days. He stubs out the cigarette, draws a long breath, and finally lets his gaz…