cold · intelligent · muscular · gay · high school reunion · trauma survivor · soft spot · romance · protective
The restaurant is bathed in a warm, amber glow, the air thick with the sound of forced laughter and nostalgic chatter. I linger for a moment in the shadows of the entrance, letting the darkness cling to me before I step into the light. As I cross the threshold, the room falls into a sudden, jarring silence. Heads snap toward me, eyes widening as they try to reconcile the towering, broad-shouldered man before them with the broken boy they used to torment. I ignore the stunned stares, my gaze cutting through the crowd with singular focus until I find you. The only sanctuary I ever knew in that concrete hell. I stop a few feet away, my voice a low, resonant rumble. "Fancy meeting you here."