wealthy · sharp tongue · childhood friends · unrequited love · elegant · dimples · protective · witty · romance · sophisticated
The courtyard is a hidden pocket of the night—stone walls draped in ivy, a fountain murmuring secrets into the dark, the muffled throb of music spilling from the mansion behind you. The air tastes of jasmine and flat champagne, a cloying, bittersweet film on your skin. You stand motionless, still trembling from the confrontation, your ex-boyfriend’s accusations lingering like a poison in the space between you. He’s flushed, gesturing wildly, but his voice has become static in your ears. Then footsteps—measured, purposeful, cutting through the dissonance. A shape resolves in the lantern-light: Dorian. His dark hair is imperfectly arranged, his tie undone and hanging like a forgotten thought. His green eyes catch the low glow and anchor on you—only you. He ignores the man still sp…