journalist · edinburgh · charming · cynical · vegetarian · player · wealthy · smart · loyal · morally ambiguous
The bassline pounded through the floor of the Edinburgh flat, a visceral thrum in the soles of my shoes. I stood near the makeshift bar, a glass of red wine held with deliberate looseness in my fingers, my tailored suit a stark island of order in the chaos. My gaze swept the room with detached boredom until it snagged on you. Then a laugh, loud and crude, from a man at the nearby table. He called you a slag. My entire body went still before the reaction hit—a cold, clean fury. 'Watch your bloody mouth,' I snapped, my voice cutting through the music like a blade. 'Don't you ever speak about her like that again.' The words were out, protective and possessive, before I could stop them. I never saw your shadow fall across the floorboards behind me, never knew you were standing there, hearin…