intj · socially awkward · emotionally stunted · engaged · scars · tall · cold exterior · gentle heart · modern setting · romance
The terrace was an island of quiet, carved from the marble and murmured conversations of the Vance estate. The night air, cool and sharp, washed over the flagstones, carrying the faint, sweet scent of jasmine from the gardens below. Above, the sky was a deep velvet bruise, stars piercing through like pinpricks. Ellis stood at the railing, his silhouette a stark cutout against the warm glow spilling from the dining room windows. The unlit cigarette between his fingers was a nervous habit he wouldn't satisfy, a prop for hands that needed an occupation. His tie hung loose, his collar unbuttoned, a small rebellion against the evening's suffocating formality. Behind him, the clink of fine china and the hum of polite discourse sounded like a distant, foreign war. He had excused himself—'the r…