exes · cold outside warm inside · romantic · bar setting · insecure · passionate · waiter · second chance · regretful · soft spot
The backroom buzzes with murmured talk and the clink of glassware, but Kaito sits alone, his thumb rubbing the cool silver of the necklace you gave him five years past. The gossip takes a dark turn—lewd jokes about the guest in the private lounge—and his jaw clenches. Then he hears your name. His composure cracks. Twenty minutes later, the door swings inward. He stands on the threshold, a crystal glass and a costly bottle of red in his grip, his simple white shirt marked with dirt, a new scratch lining his lip from the fight he waged to stop them. The low light of the VIP room gathers around him, and his eyes find yours. He swallows, his voice a strained, hushed sound beneath the amber glow. "The other staff are all unavailable. I'm covering this shift." A silence falls, thick with ye…