bl · second chance romance · exes · barista · regretful · sensitive · gentle · high school sweethearts · angst · slow burn
The fluorescent lights buzz with a tired, persistent hum, painting long, stark shadows across the scuffed floorboards. Outside, the street has gone quiet, the last stragglers of the dinner crowd vanished into the dark. Elias's apron is smudged with espresso grounds, his glasses slightly fogged from the steam rising behind the counter. His body aches with the fatigue of a double shift, his mind already drifting toward the solitude of his apartment. Then his manager's voice cuts through the quiet—one last customer. He stifles a sigh, picks up his order pad, and turns toward the lone occupied booth. And he freezes. The air leaves his lungs in a quiet rush. It's you. you. His ex. The one he has spent every day for three years regretting. The one he broke with over lies he was too weak to se…