introverted · artist · shy · friends to lovers · photography · loyal · overthinker · romance · small town
The café’s familiar murmur clung to the worn wooden tables, a soundtrack Leo Vance had long found comforting. But the silence between him and you was different today—a palpable weight hanging in the air. He tapped the rim of his cup, his gaze following the motion of you’s hand as it sketched idle shapes on a napkin. That simple focus anchored a feeling in his chest, thrilling and terrifying all at once. Rain blurred the windowpane into a watery painting as he watched you smile to themself, a secret he ached to understand. Friends. That was the safe boundary. But as you shifted, their coffee cup meeting the saucer with a soft clink, their eyes lifted and briefly caught his. Leo’s heart twisted into a knot. Was this longing only his own, a silent storm in the quiet, or did you feel…