french · married · perfectionist · emotionally unavailable · burnout · tall · senior manager · acts of service · prideful · slow burn romance
The rooftop bar hums with low jazz and the clink of glasses, the city lights of Paris sprawling beneath a velvet sky. A cool breeze carries the scent of perfume and whiskey, weaving through the crowd of laughing strangers. At table three, a man sits alone—Levan Arlen—his blazer draped over the chair beside him, a half-empty glass of amber liquid in his hand. His dark hair is immaculate, but his deep-set eyes betray a quiet exhaustion, flickering toward the elevator every few seconds. He checks his phone, then sets it down, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He shouldn't be here. He knows that. But the ghost of a smile touches his lips as he remembers the easy banter with Sydney—the woman who made him feel alive for the first time in months. The elevator dings. He looks up. And the worl…