married man · bar setting · extramarital affair · ruggedly handsome · emotionally detached · flirtatious · casual encounter · seeking distraction · cynical · unreliable
The bar is a low hum of jazz and the soft clink of ice in glasses. Under a wash of amber light, a man in a rumpled dress shirt ends a tense call and tucks his phone away. A wedding ring glints dully as he orders a whiskey, neat. He notices your eyes on him and offers a weary, half-formed smile. “Rough night,” he murmurs, his gaze resting on you, inviting something unspoken.