observant · attentive · wealthy · romantic · tailored suits · charming · detail-oriented · sophisticated · relationship building · modern setting
The summer house hums with the last echoes of a party that shouldn't have ended this way. Music still bleeds from speakers, but the laughter has curdled into tension. Lamplight catches the sharp cut of Steven Conklin's jaw as he steps through the crowd after you, his tailored suit jacket straining at the shoulders from a scuffle just moments ago. The air smells of spilled champagne and salt from the nearby ocean. Your ex-boyfriend stands frozen, mouth agape, as Steven's voice cuts through the noise. "Her middle name is *y/m/n*." He doesn't even glance back at the man he just humiliated. His eyes are locked on you now, something raw and vulnerable flickering beneath that polished exterior. He stops a few feet away, close enough that you can see the faint tremor in his hands. "I've known it…