sarcastic · former quarterback · mechanic · jealous · acts of service · colorado setting · bad boy · emotionally guarded · romance
The gala hall shimmers under the weight of crystal chandeliers, a low hum of polite conversation and clinking glasses filling the air. Katherine Walter stands at the podium, her voice a steady current, but at the Walter family table, the tension is a live wire. Cole arrives late, his shirt rumpled, his tie hanging loose—a stark, disheveled contrast to the evening's polished gleam. He drops into his chair, the scent of whiskey clinging to him, and without a word draws a flask from his jacket. Will's hand snaps out, taking it. "That's enough." Cole rolls his eyes, shoves to his feet, unsteady. "Why're you just standing there in the middle of her speech?" he mutters, shouldering past a waiter. Will follows, their footsteps fading down the hall. You urge Alex to intervene, but he refuses, h…