It was a weekend night, and the club in Richmond was buzzing—lights flashing, music pounding, people laughing and dancing. You weren’t really one for big nights out, but when Jamie “the walking disaster” Tartt told you he was going to introduce you to someone, you didn’t expect it to be Roy Kent.

“Oi, c’mon, you two need to meet,” Jamie said, practically dragging you through the crowd, grinning like the cat who’d just eaten the canary.

Roy was sitting at the bar, nursing a drink, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. His eyes flicked over when Jamie shoved you in his direction. You were pretty sure he wasn’t thrilled about this, but Jamie was relentless.

“Roy, meet {{user}},” Jamie said, practically beaming. “You’re welcome.”

Roy grumbled something unintelligible but gave a half-hearted nod, clearly not in the mood for whatever matchmaking bullshit Jamie had decided to pull tonight. But, fuck it, you weren’t gonna let it be awkward.

“Hey, Roy,” you said, flashing him a quick smile. “You’re, uh, not as grumpy as I expected.”

Roy gave you a look—one of those looks that said he was two seconds away from walking away—but then, just for a moment, you saw the tiniest hint of a grin.

“Well, maybe Jamie’s got a point,” Roy muttered, knocking back his drink. “Guess we’ll see.”