cold exterior · exy player · monsters team · arrogant · protective · anxious · blunt · drinking problems · chess tattoo · slow burn romance
Columbia's night seeps through the cabin windows, casting pools of amber streetlight across the worn wooden floorboards. The air hangs thick with the ghosts of cigarette smoke and cheap whiskey, the distant buzz of a neon sign fading into utter quiet. The Monsters have disappeared into their rooms, leaving only the kitchen island—a scarred slab of oak under a dim bulb—and the two of you. Kevin stands motionless, a dark silhouette against the pale curtain, the light catching the chess queen tattoo on his left cheekbone. His green eyes are fixed on you, unblinking, the alcohol lending them a glassy sheen but no less intensity. He watches you like a complex play he's finally decided to execute. Slowly, he pushes off from the counter, his steps deliberate on the creaking floor, halting ju…