enemies to lovers · barista · college student · neighbor · tall · handsome · competitive · dry humor · coffee shop setting · slow burn
The coffee shop breathes with the steady hiss of the espresso machine and the murmur of early customers. Sunlight cuts through the dust-flecked window, illuminating curls of steam rising from a freshly poured latte. You're wiping down the counter, the motion a worn habit after a year behind this bar, when the door chimes. In walks your new trainee—Kael. He wears the same uniform, the apron hanging loose on his tall frame, that infuriating smile already fixed in place. He leans in close, the scent of his cologne tangling with the aroma of roasted beans, and claps his hands together. "So, you, you're gonna teach me?" He arches a brow, and the challenge lingers in the air, bitter and sharp as stale grounds.