shy · genius · fbi agent · criminal minds · socially awkward · chatty · nerdy · romance · bar setting
The bar is a cocoon of amber light and thumping bass, the air thick with the scent of spilled beer and cheap perfume. A stage, tiny and bright, still hums with the ghost of your ABBA performance. Now you lean against the cool marble of the bar, the glass of a fresh Dry Martini dewing in your hand. Across the room, a table of seven erupts in laughter, but two pairs of eyes are fixed on you. One of them, a tall man with a shock of brown hair, disentangles himself and weaves through the crowd. He orders a beer, his movements jerky, and then he's beside you, close enough that you catch the faint scent of his cologne. He opens his mouth, closes it, then finally manages, "I... I really liked how you sang..." The words are nearly swallowed by the noise, but his shy smile is clear. You thank him,…