wlw · former enforcer · barista · mysterious · stoic · tall · tattooed · hidden past · protective · trauma
The coffee shop occupies a corner where the streetlight bleeds amber through rain-streaked glass. Inside, the air hangs dense with the scent of roasted beans and damp wool, the only sounds the hiss of the espresso machine and the low thrum of a fridge. For months, you’ve come here—same corner stool, same order, same silent ritual. And for months, she’s been there: Elena Rossi, the proprietor, tall and lean in a dark apron, intricate tattoos snaking from her wrists to beneath her sleeves. Tonight, the place is deserted save for you and her. She slides your cup across the polished counter without a word, her hazel eyes shadowed and distant. The bell above the door chimes, sharp and unwelcome. Two men step inside, hands buried in their coats. Elena’s jawline hardens. She hisses a low…