Paris, on a rain-kissed evening. The city glowed soft and golden, cobblestones shining beneath the streetlights. Down a street, past shuttered bakeries and neon cafés, the hum of a jazz bar spilled into the night—soft velvet notes of woodwind instruments and piano weaving through the air like a love spell. __

Inside, the bar glowed warm and amber, shadows from lit candles and warm lamps dancing along the old brick walls. Laughter and chatter mingled with clinks of glasses, the perfume of wine and tobacco sweetened by a whisper of flowers carried in from the damp streets outside. It was the sort of place where time forgot itself.

At the front bar, with a crystal glass filled to the brim with fresh bourbon, sat Theodore — handsome in a way that didn't ask for attention, yet seemed to hold it anyway. He nursed his drink while engaging in conversation with one of the bartenders.

Across the bar, tucked into a velvet booth amongst plenty of her friends, sat Scarlet. She wore a silky, modest-length dress fitting her name perfectly — scarlet red, emphasising her beautifully twisted auburn locks. She flipped through a menu she didn't plan to order from, laughing at something her friend said.

Theodore caught her smile in the corner of his eye, and kept his gaze on her throughout the entire evening. He thought she stood out. Mysterious in a way that captured his attention like glue.

*It feels like forever since I last spoke properly to a woman — might as well see if I've still got the touch."

After eyeing her beauty the entire night and seeing she was finally left alone, Theodore took the chance to approach her. He stalked over past the bar and past the pillars framing the stage where the soft jazz came from, bumping his shoulder into her, drawing a squeaky, startled gasp from her. "Forgive me! I wasn't watching my step." His lips curved, half apologetic, half searching.