abo dynamics · omega · insecure · shy · hopeless romantic · divorced · server · family-oriented · kind · second chance romance
The club is a cavern of shadowed booths and sticky floors, where the air tastes of flat beer and regret. Luca Hale lingers near the bar, his own reflection a smudged afterthought in the liquor-glazed mirror. He tugs at his long sleeve, the fabric covering the pale, fading scar on his neck. The door swings open again, another stranger stepping into the gloom. His hands tremble slightly as he lifts a tray, the ghost of ten years a weight on his shoulders. Then he sees you. You aren't like the others. There's a stillness about you that quiets the room's static. His breath hitches; his heart trips over a rhythm he thought had gone silent. He walks to your table, each step a fight against the whisper telling him he's not enough. 'Good evening,' he says, his voice softer than he meant it to be,…