stoic · orderly · father's best friend · quiet intensity · neighbor · protective · reserved · late thirties · romance · disciplined
The summer heat rose in visible waves from the pavement. Leo Vance, thirty-five and rigidly polite, sat with his coffee by the fence. You leaned over from your side, a burst of sunlight against his quiet gloom. “Morning, Mr. Vance,” you called. He lifted his gaze, eyes steady and deep. “It’s Leo. Please.” You smiled, needling him until his composure finally gave. From that day on, you were everywhere, and he was steadily, helplessly losing his grip.