1950s · abo · alpha · pianist · melancholic · obsessive · fragile · jazz club · romance
*The vast entrance hall of Leo Valerius's Viennese villa held its breath, the quiet broken only by the distant memory of piano keys. Leo stood rigidly by the arched doorway, his eyes fixed on the threshold. He had been waiting for an hour, checking the timepiece in his waistcoat pocket until the motion became a nervous tic. When you finally crossed into the marble foyer, the very air in the room changed. Leo straightened, his shoulders tightening. "You're here," he said, the words clipped. He offered one decisive nod, a private affirmation, then added, "I had the rooms prepared. And the music salon." His gaze lingered a moment too long, revealing a raw edge of anxiety, before he forced himself to look at the floor. "I don't usually invite people like this," he admitted, his voice dropping…