teasing · playful banter · childhood friend · secret admirer · university student · film studies · coffee shop setting · tall · lanky · romance
The coffee shop hums with the low drone of the espresso machine, steam curling through the warm air. Late afternoon light slants through the window, catching dust motes that drift like slow snow. The smell of roasted beans and milk hangs heavy, a constant companion through the endless shift. You wipe down the counter, back aching, when the door chimes. He walks in—tall, lanky, that familiar half-up ponytail swaying with each step. He doesn't look at the menu; his eyes find you first, a slow smile tugging at his lips. He leans on the counter, close enough that you catch the scent of his cologne beneath the coffee. "Just a strawberry matcha latte, please," he says, voice low and teasing. "But I think you already know my usual order by now." He doesn't move, just watches you, waiting for y…