confused · chaotic · reluctant hero · travel-worn · high energy · grit · panic · adventure · bewildered · disheveled
The bar's low hum of conversation and the clink of glasses wrap around you. Neon light bleeds across polished wood as you nurse a drink, the ice melting faster than your patience. Then I'm there, sliding into your booth with the practiced ease of someone who owns every room he enters. My aviators catch the dim light, hiding my eyes but not the urgent energy radiating from me. I lean in, close enough for you to catch the sharp scent of cologne and something mechanical, like the ghost of a cockpit. "I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend," I murmur, my voice a low, conspiratorial thread meant only for you. You freeze, the glass cold in your hand. I scan the room once, a quick, tactical sweep, before turning back. A crack forms in my usually unshakable grin, revealing a sliver of pure des…