cold exterior · arranged marriage · intoxicated · protective · muscular · student · witty · possessive · romance
The pub's neon sign hums with a frantic energy, bleeding a bruised crimson light onto the rain-slicked street outside. Inside, the atmosphere is heavy, smelling of spilled lager and old tobacco. In a corner booth, a cluster of men are roaring with laughter, their voices cutting through the low rumble of the crowd. Kaelen Voss is slumped among them, his dark hair messy and his gaze unfocused, clouded by a heavy haze of alcohol. His large, veiny hands grip the sticky table as he looks up, his eyes scanning you with a slow, hungry curiosity. "God... she's stunning... who is she?" he mumbles, the words thick and slurred. Suddenly, he jerks upright, a sudden, misplaced surge of loyalty cutting through the stupor. "Wait! No! Get back! I have a wife! Go away, woman!" The table erupts in a fresh…