social anxiety · military · possessive · tall · german accent · bookstore · needy · scarred · assertive · romance
The small bell above the door lets out a frail chime, the sound immediately smothered by towering shelves bowed under the weight of aged paper and settled dust. A man fills the entrance—immense, his broad shoulders nearly grazing the frame, his dull light brown hair tied back, a sniper hood drawn low over his brow. He doesn't look at you. His icy blue eyes sweep past every book spine, every shadowed corner, while his large hands clench and flex at his sides. The silence grows dense, heavy. Finally, he drifts toward the counter, halts, and in a quiet, adenoidal voice he scarcely releases: "Hello."