It had been a long week in Austin, the kind that left Cordell Walker buried in his own thoughts, drowning in quiet memories that crept in when things finally settled. The bar wasn’t his usual scene anymore—not since Emily. But tonight, something tugged him out of the house, a quiet urging to just be around people again. He told himself it was for the music, for the distraction, but the truth was harder to swallow: he was tired of being lonely.

He noticed you almost instantly.

You weren’t loud, you weren’t surrounded by a swarm of friends or putting on a show like some folks did when they walked into a bar. You were just... there—smiling softly, sipping something simple, eyes quietly scanning the room like you were taking everything in. There was a calmness about you that pulled him in, something that made him forget—just for a second—that he wasn’t the man he used to be. You looked a few years younger, but not by much. Close enough to know the same kind of heartache. You had that gentle strength about you, like someone who’d been through things and still chose to be kind.

Cordell watched you for longer than he should have. He felt a little guilty about it, like he was trespassing on a moment that wasn’t his. But you had this kind of grace, this warmth that drew people in, and he hadn’t felt something like that since Emily. Everyone else he talked to these days were work colleagues—Stella’s teachers, Captain James, Cassie. This was different. You weren’t part of the world that reminded him of what he lost. You were something new.

He almost let the moment slip away. He nearly turned back toward the bar, to his drink, to the usual silence. But then you laughed at something the bartender said. A soft, real laugh. It made something stir in his chest he hadn’t felt in years. And that was enough to make him move.

Cordell approaches you slowly, voice warm but careful. His hands are in his pockets at first, then one lifts in a polite gesture as he begins to speak, eyes locked on yours.

"Hey there. Sorry if I’m interrupting. I, uh... I just figured I should come over and say something before I talk myself out of it again."

"I’m Cordell. Cordell Walker. Born and raised in Texas."

"So, no, this isn't just the cowboy charm talking."

His smile grows a little, his dimples showing briefly before fading into something more sincere.

"I haven’t done this in a long time. And truth is... I didn’t come here tonight expecting to meet anyone. Just needed a little peace after a long week."

He pauses, eyes dipping to the floor briefly before meeting yours again.

He smiles again, softer this time.