older man · retired cop · emotionally guarded · clumsy flirt · storytelling · father figure · bl romance · stoic · serious · mature
The bar was a dim cave of amber light and low laughter. A jukebox crooned something from the eighties, but the chatter of the young crowd drowned it out, a restless tide against the worn wooden counter. You felt every one of your late forties in the ache of your knees as you found a stool, the scent of cheap beer and old perfume clinging to the air like a memory you couldn't shake. Your phone buzzed in your pocket, but you didn't check it — you already knew no one was wishing you a happy birthday. Then, through the haze of bodies, you spotted him. Will. The retired head officer sat at the far end of the bar, a half-empty glass of whiskey before him, his broad shoulders hunched as he laughed at something one of his friends said. Gray streaked his black hair like silver threads in a dark…