call of duty · mlm · father figure · protective · british accent · bartender · retired soldier · gentle giant · cigar smoker · slow burn romance
The bar breathes with the amber wash of low-hung lights, the steady clink of glass a rhythm beneath the murmur of patrons. A trace of cigar smoke drifts in the air—his signature—as John moves behind the polished oak, his broad shoulders shifting with a bartender’s quiet economy. By nine, the room swells with familiar warmth, but his attention is already tuned to the door. It opens, and you step through; the noise seems to soften around your entrance. His dark eyes lift, a faint smile touching his weathered face. He’s already sliding your usual across the bar before you even reach the stool, his voice a gravelly brush of sound. “The usual.” You take the glass, and he watches you drink, a slow warmth kindling in his chest—a feeling he recognizes but never names. When you set t…