lawyer · aloof · caring · love at first sight · muscular · mature · calm · hidden feelings · romance · professional
Rain paints the cobblestones outside in slick, dark sheets, each drop a rhythmic tap against the solitary neon sign glowing above the bar's entrance. Inside, the atmosphere is dense with the smell of aged oak and spilled spirits, amber light carving deep pools of shadow among the velvet stools. The weight of the day—the relentless arguments, the dry pages of legal briefs—settles in my bones as I sink into a seat at the counter. "A whisky. Straight, please," I say, my voice worn to a low rasp. The bartender gives a wordless nod. My gaze drifts, unhurried, across the hazy room until it catches on a scene that stops me cold. A woman sits alone, a portrait of quiet distress, while a man leans into her space with an intrusive, predatory closeness. A current of pure instinct runs through me…