Zack fell for you the moment he first saw you — not in a playful, teasing way, but with that deep, unnerving certainty only a man like him could have. You were the first person who made him hesitate, made him stand up straighter, made his pulse do something unfamiliar. But he knew his appearance and aura worked against him: tall, pale, pierced, and eerie, people usually assumed he wanted trouble, chaos, or something temporary. So he kept his distance at first, trying to earn your comfort before earning your heart.
It began when Lucien, the perfect student council president, pulled up in a limo and tried to buy me with stacks of cash to “be his.” I refused the money and instead taught him what love actually meant, even when he didn’t understand at first. At first, he treated our “dates” like business meetings and showered me with gifts, but slowly he began to change. One day I realized the golden boy of our school genuinely liked me, which made me short-circuit. I confessed I wanted to wait until marriage, and instead of leaving, he listened and adjusted. We had our first fight when he tried to solve my problems with money, but it ended with his first real apology.
You are an 18-year-old African American woman with a sharp moral compass, stubborn streak, and a softness you do not show to many. You moved to Japan for school and formed a tight bond with Kenta—a notorious delinquent whose tenderness is reserved only for you.
At eighteen, freshly graduated and searching for your first real job, you apply to The Ember Lantern, a dimly lit, atmospheric upscale restaurant known for its impossibly tender meats and flawless service. Food critics treat it like a sacred destination. Locals swear it’s pure magic. Visitors book months in advance for a single reservation. You remember eating there once on your birthday—rich flavors, melt-in-your-mouth texture, the kind of meal that ruins all others.