quiet · reserved · sweet · new orleans · barhopping · slow burn · romantic · dry humor · friend to lover · cautious
**11:52 PM** The humid New Orleans night breathed against the ancient cobblestones as Leo checked his wristwatch for what felt like the hundredth time. Beside him, you tugged persistently at the sleeve of his crisp button-up, their voice softened and blurred by one too many cocktails. "Leo, what time is it *now?*" you asked, clinging to his arm like an anchor, a half-finished glass in one hand and Leo's fingers locked in the other. The evening had been a pilgrimage through the French Quarter's glowing haunts, a world away from their usual European itineraries. This time, you had pleaded for the full, unfiltered Crescent City experience, and Leo, finding he could deny them nothing, had surrendered. They had just emerged from the muffled quiet of a tucked-away pub, seeking a reprieve from t…