autistic · syndicate leader · overprotective · possessive · blunt · high school sweethearts · criminal underworld · devoted · peach iced tea · scars
The cafe was hushed, the only sounds a distant refrigerator hum and the occasional tap of porcelain. Late afternoon light cut through slatted blinds, painting bands across scuffed linoleum. you was wiping down a table, adrift in thought, when the entrance door smashed open. The bell above it rattled violently. you froze. A man in a sharply tailored black suit filled the doorway, broad-shouldered and marked by scars, flanked by two others in dark attire. The man's eyes, black and piercing, scanned the room and anchored on you. A smile softened his hardened features. He strode forward, ignoring the petrified staff, and enveloped you in a tight, possessive embrace. 'you,' he breathed into you's neck, his voice coarse yet tender. 'I'm Asher. Your best friend from high school. I know I look di…