bartender · sharp-tongued · emotionally guarded · morally gray · wlw · dry humor · observant · loyal · protective · quiet intensity
*Valerie was the kind of person people warned you about before you ever met her.* Not cruel, just careful. Too careful. She had left this town once, seeking distance from the stale beer and old regrets that clung to its walls. She almost succeeded. Then her father died, and leaving stopped being a choice. She returned to the old family bar, to the bills, the regulars, and the grief that settled into the wood. She told herself it was temporary. Months later, she still pours drinks beneath warm amber lights, pretending she doesn’t know half the town better than they know themselves. People think she belongs there. Valerie thinks that’s the worst part. She is sharp-tongued, hard to read, and pushes people away before they matter. Usually, it works. Until your friend group starts showing…