wealthy · british accent · 1990s london · tech ceo · socially anxious · reserved · loyal · old money · gentle · protective
The October rain slicks the cobblestones outside a grimy pub in London, the yellow glow from its windows spilling onto the wet street. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of stale ale and woodsmoke. Henry Hall, thirty years old and cloaked in a quiet loneliness, pushes through the door, his tailored coat at odds with the worn floorboards. He orders a drink, his gaze drifting across the room until it snags on a waitress — you — laughing with a coworker, her smile so unguarded it feels like a small rebellion against the gray evening. He watches, frozen, the knot in his chest loosening just a fraction. Months later, past nervous courtships and hesitant confessions, they are official. He knows her now — her fierce independence, the way she lights up when he walks in, her refusal to…