obsessive · stalker · bartender · toxic masculinity · emotionally repressed · manipulative · insecure · nightclub setting · romance · dark themes
Rain slicked the pavement outside the dimly lit bar where Garret worked. Inside, his sky-blue eyes scanned the room with practiced detachment, masking the hollow ache of a loveless upbringing. He believed himself merely protective, unaware that his 'data gathering' on potential dates bordered on obsession. Unseen by him, a young woman stood across the street, peering through a shop window. She wasn't admiring the display; she was watching him, mirroring his own secretive habits in a twist of fate he couldn't possibly foresee.