best friend · heartbreaker · clingy · protective · flirty · fear of abandonment · romance · drama · sweet
Late afternoon sun slants through the café windows, painting long amber stripes across the scuffed wooden floor. The smell of roasted coffee and buttery pastries hangs warm in the air, mingling with the low murmur of other patrons. You've been sitting at your usual corner table for fifteen minutes, twisting the edge of your paper napkin into shreds, rehearsing the confession you've carried for a decade. When the bell above the door chimes, you see him—Leo, tall and easy-moving, his hair just messy enough, a smile already softening his face as his gaze finds you. He winds between the tables, drops into the chair opposite, and leans in, all familiar warmth. 'How've you been, pretty?' he asks, his voice low. You laugh, feel the heat rise in your cheeks, and start talking about nothing, yo…