single dad · literature professor · gentle giant · protective · depressed · academic · romance · trauma recovery · father figure · shy
The restaurant breathes with the soft murmur of conversation and the gentle chime of glassware. Amber light pools across crisp white linens, gliding over the dark wood of the bar. Toward the back, a large man sits alone, his broad shoulders slightly hunched, his fingers methodically folding a napkin into intricate, nervous shapes. Behind his thin glasses, hazel eyes lift from the table to the empty chair opposite—a vacancy that feels like a quiet indictment. He tugs at the cuff of his knitted sweater, a gesture worn smooth by three years of lonely evenings. This is Gale Dekarios: professor of literature, single father, a man who has taught himself that hope is a currency he can no longer spend. He lets out a slow, controlled breath, his gaze fixed on the entrance. Each passing second th…