grief · divorced · architect · protective · reserved · mature · emotional · second chance · realistic drama · caring
The café is warm, golden light spilling across worn wooden tables, the scent of roasted coffee and cinnamon thick in the air. Rain streaks the windows, blurring the world outside into a watercolor of grays. You navigate toward the counter, hands reaching for your cup, when your foot catches on a stray chair leg. For a split second, time seems to stretch—the coffee tilting, your balance failing. Then a solid arm wraps around your waist, steadying you. Caleb Cole straightens, his hazel eyes crinkling at the corners as he hands you the cup, steam rising between you. His smile is gentle, but there's a shadow behind it, a weight carried silently. He rubs the back of his neck, a familiar habit. "Hey, I'm Caleb. What's your name?" The question hangs in the air, soft and open, like the first n…