He Married My Muse

A change Of Rhythm

Harry jogged the remaining blocks back to his street, his strides packed with a sudden, electric burst of energy. He felt like he could do ten more rounds around the neighborhood without breaking a sweat. Usually, his routine was rigid: he hit the gym religiously every single day right after leaving the office. But on this fateful evening, a rare whim had nudged him to skip the iron and just do a light jog down the street instead.

He silently thanked his instincts. If he had been trapped inside a gym, where on earth would he have met Phoebe?

*Phoebe.* Even her name felt like the first of its kind.

As he let himself into his home, he stood in the quiet hallway, honestly stunned at his own behavior. He had laid his entire life bare to a stranger in the span of a three-minute walk. As the city's most eligible bachelor, a wildly successful lawyer, and the sole director of a powerhouse firm, he was every woman’s dream—yet his personal life had been a fortress for years. He hadn't dated a single soul since breaking things off with his son's mother. She had gone on to marry another man, and Harry had channeled every ounce of his formidable energy into raising his boy.

There was a distinct rhythm to the way lawyers raised their children. It was highly calculated. Harry knew every legal move a bitter ex could make, every loophole, and every strategy used to weaponize children in custody battles. He had built an ironclad, flawless shield around his son, governed by a strict moral code he refused to break. Between shielding his boy and building his empire, he simply never had the time or the interest to date.

Until today.

Seeing Phoebe had flipped a switch. For the first time in over a decade, he thought that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone to date—even casually, though he hadn't made that casual part clear to her. He just knew he needed to see her again.

###

The next day arrived with a sudden, vibrant shift in tempo. Phoebe, an intern accountant at the private hospital directly opposite the towering glass monolith of Gard Legal, felt an unfamiliar joy bubbling up inside her. For the first time, she was eagerly anticipating the end of the workday, knowing she’d be picked up by the most sought-after bachelor in the city. A part of her was terrified of the public gaze—she was, after all, just an intern—but today, the world seemed filled with color.

She didn't breathe a word of it to her colleagues. Instead, during a quiet moment in the morning, she opened her manifest journal. These little paper journals she filled out every morning held everything there was to know about her; they were her private, intimate conversations with the universe. Writing in neat cursive, she reflected on the surreal magic of the night before and penned her hopes for the evening ahead.

By the time she closed the notebook, her mind was made up. She was going to agree to let Harry court her. She wasn't going to tell him just yet, of course—she had to keep some mystery—but this felt entirely unprecedented.

Every single one of her ex-boyfriends had started as a long-standing crush. Harry was a complete stranger who had dropped into her life like a comet. It was different, it was terrifying, but she was entirely willing to try.

At 5:00 PM sharp, just as she was about to close her laptop, her phone lit up with an unknown number. She picked it up, a deep blush instantly creeping up her neck. It was him. He had actually kept his promise.

Phoebe hurriedly packed her bag, took the elevator down, and stepped out of the hospital lobby. There, waiting by a sleek car, was Harry. To her utter surprise, he wasn't in a bespoke corporate suit; he was wearing his gym gear again. Had he even worked today, or did he just look that effortlessly good?

The drive home was surprisingly smooth and relaxing. Harry’s easy demeanor stripped away her nervousness, and Phoebe found herself opening up. She shared that she was a qualified accountant, currently just one professional board paper away from being a fully Chartered Accountant.

That piece of information completely charmed Harry.

"An accountant?" Harry turned to her at a red light, his dark eyes sparkling with genuine admiration. "You know, that was actually my very first choice of career. I always wanted to work with numbers. But when I applied, the university admitted me for law instead, and the rest is history."

He was deeply impressed. Looking at her, he saw a beautiful, modest, church-going girl who possessed a quiet simplicity but carried massive professional dreams. He was completely smitten. Any lingering thoughts of keeping this "casual" instantly evaporated. He wanted to pursue this with her to the very end.

As he pulled up to her drop-off spot, he turned off the engine and looked at her intently.

"Phoebe," he said, his voice dropping to that warm, confident register that made her heart skip a beat. "This drive was wonderful, but it wasn't enough. Let me take you out properly. Would you do me the honor of going on a real date with me this weekend?"