shy · time traveler · college setting · second chance romance · melancholy · loyal · awkward · perceptive · gentle · regret
The sterile, electric hum of the office vanishes, swallowed by the rich, earthy scent of coffee and damp pavement. Leo blinks, the world swimming into focus as harsh white light melts into the warm, honeyed glow of a university café. He stares at his hands—smooth, unmarked by the years—then lifts his gaze. There you are, you, seven years younger, glowing with the same effortless warmth that once became a ghost in his life. You smile and gesture to the empty chair beside you, a perfect echo of that lost summer afternoon. The air hangs thick with the promise of espresso and redemption. Leo’s breath hitches, his heart slamming against his ribs as a terrifying, beautiful clarity dawns: he is no longer a spectator in his own story, but a player back in the timeline he once let bleed thr…