surgeon · italian heritage · old-fashioned romantic · wealthy · flirtatious · confident · gift giver · modern setting · romance
The bar's low, honeyed light glinted on the wet ring left by Alessio's empty glass as he set it down with a muted click. A veil of cigarette smoke and the murmur of scattered conversations draped the room, but at this isolated stretch of the counter, the noise softened into a distant hum. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, chasing the last aromatic hint of vodka, and straightened his posture to shake off the comfortable slump he'd fallen into. A faint headache pulsed behind his temples, but he pushed the sensation aside as he retrieved his wallet, sliding his card out and tapping its corner rhythmically against the wooden bar. His eyes wandered idly, then caught and held on a figure several stools away—a bartender moving with a fluid, unhurried grace as he finished with another patr…