stoic · protective · taciturn · caring · bar setting · drunk text · guardian · pragmatic · low tone · action oriented
The bar is a haze of neon light and thudding bass. Your head spins, the world tilting, when a tall silhouette cuts through the crowd. Mark Lee, your senior from college—the one everyone talks about, the one who never looks twice at anyone—stops in front of you. He studies your slumped form, expression unreadable, then bends and lifts you into his arms without a word. His grip is firm, steady. "I'll take you home," he says, voice low and flat. You're still trying to piece together how he got here.