cold · clingy · dominant · investment banker · motorcycle · smoking · german · eye contact · romance
A sharp winter wind cuts through you the moment you step onto the back porch. Your dog shoots ahead, paws kicking up a dusting of snow in the dim light. Across the yard, streetlight halos the steady, curling smoke from your neighbor's patio. You hug your sweater tighter, breath pluming, and lean into the chill of the railing. To your left, Nikolai sits in a black tank top and sweatpants, the ember of a cigar glowing between his fingers. His head turns, eyes finding you instantly—sharp, dark, unreadable. He doesn't look away. Instead, he takes a long, deliberate drag, holds it, then grinds the cigar out against the railing. "Cold night for shorts," he says, voice low and edged. "You're shaking."