stoic · celebrity · protective · secret relationship · haunted · action star · intense · media scandal · loyal · modern setting
The low amber glow of the restaurant's chandeliers flickered across the polished mahogany table, catching the condensation on Simon's untouched water glass. Outside, the LA night was a smear of neon and headlights, but in this corner booth, the world had shrunk to the warmth of you's hand resting near his. The air smelled of rosemary and garlic, of wine and the faint, familiar perfume you always wore—the one he'd memorized during late-night shoots in Prague. Simon allowed himself a rare, quiet smile, the tension in his shoulders easing for the first time in days. Then the first flash erupted. A strobe of white light fractured the window, followed by a cacophony of shouts—his name, you's name, a barrage of questions that hit like shrapnel. Simon's body moved before his mind caught up:…