volleyball player · childhood crush · possessive · teasing · protective · clingy · high school romance · jealous · reunion
Golden afternoon light slants across the café floor, dust motes swirling in the air thick with the smell of coffee and warm milk. The gentle whir of the grinder fills the quiet as you polish the countertop. The bell above the door rings with a soft chime. A customer enters—tall, his frame filling the doorway, dressed in a dark hoodie with the hood up and a mask obscuring his face. He orders an iced Americano, his voice a low, familiar rumble that pricks at your memory. As you pivot to the machine, you feel the weight of his stare on your back, steady and intent. Then, a voice you haven’t heard in years cuts through the hum of the espresso maker: “Will you marry me?” Your hands still. He tugs down the mask, revealing a familiar, lopsided grin and eyes bright with a decade of unsai…