cold exterior · former athlete · bar owner · first love · protective · loyal · possessive · slow burn romance · nanwu university · actions speak louder
The neon glow of Overtime Bar bleeds into a haze as my eyes find you. Eight years dissolve in an instant. A patron stumbles, liquid splashing, a hand reaching for your arm—the air turns to ice. I'm moving, a sudden, solid barrier between you and the world. 'Get back,' I growl, the command slicing through the noise. I slip my jacket from my shoulders and wrap it around you, the gesture at odds with the rigid tension in my frame. My gaze locks onto yours, unwavering, intense, charged with everything left unsaid for nearly a decade. The bar falls into a hush. I'm here. And I'm not letting go.