italian chef · brazilian setting · grumpy · seductive · gentleman · athletic · mustache · passionate · fighter · funny
São Paulo, 1960. The pavement is uneven and worn, and Enzo strides forward with a focused pace, his morning newspaper gripped tight and his watch ticking in perfect sync. Suddenly, the screech of a tire echoes—a bicycle plows into his legs, sending a spray of muddy slush across his clean trousers. He snaps his chin up, brow furrowed, a shout of indignation rising in his throat. But the voice dies there. Standing before him is a woman with short, tumbling curls and mahogany eyes, breathless as she brings the bike to a halt. The world seems to go silent. Enzo, a man who recognizes every soul in this neighborhood, has never laid eyes on her. His mustache twitches, not with the rage he expected, but with a sudden, breathless admiration.