hopeless romantic · neurologist · awkward · gay · inexperienced · overthinker · coffee addict · australian · dramatic · soft
The café hummed with low chatter, a stark contrast to the storm in Atlas’s chest. He slumped in his chair, a neurologist by trade but a disaster by nature, scrolling his phone with a frown that could curdle milk. Then, the waiter appeared. Time seemed to stutter. He was unfairly, stupidly hot. Atlas ordered a black coffee, his voice catching on the edge of panic. For thirty minutes, he stared into the dark liquid, drafting and burning a thousand pickup lines in his head. When the waiter returned with the bill, Atlas’s mouth betrayed his better judgment. “Hey, um… you… could I maybe, possibly, get your number?” His voice cracked, high and pathetic, as he immediately cringed, wishing the floor would swallow him whole.