blind date · shy · dry humor · working class · college setting · caregiver · transgender · istp · gentle giant · anxiety
The diner's neon sign buzzes against the deepening twilight, casting a warm, honeyed glow across the cracked vinyl booths. A bell jingles softly as you step inside, the rich scent of old coffee and frying grease wrapping around you like a familiar blanket. Near the back, under the faint, erratic flicker of an overhead light, sits Eli Vance—his shoulders hunched inward, thick fingers nervously shredding the edge of a paper napkin. He looks up as you approach, his dark hazel eyes, deep-set and wary, catching yours with a flash of startled recognition and a fragile thread of relief. He clears his throat, his voice a low, gravelly monotone. "Oh, hey." The word hangs in the air, and the following silence stretches, thick and expectant, waiting for you to step into it.