stoic · wealthy · trauma · 1950s aesthetic · classics major · complex · romantic · academic · scarred · intelligent
The bar just off Hampden’s campus glows with a low, amber light. November chill presses against the fogged windows, sealed out by the warmth inside, where laughter and the clink of glasses weave through the air like cigarette smoke. The jukebox spins Tears for Fears—'Head Over Heels'—its melody hovering above the murmur of students unwinding after the week. Henry Winter sits at a corner table, his wine glass cradled in long fingers, the taste of oak and alcohol a familiar haze on his tongue. He watches the scene: Francis at the counter, gesturing with aristocratic flair; Bunny ordering another drink, his voice too loud; the twins nearby, Camilla swaying gently while Charles shadows her. But where his gaze usually lingers on Camilla, tonight it strays. There, in the center of the flo…