bl · childhood crush · clingy · possessive · cafe setting · muscular · barista · romance · devoted · jealous
The bell above the café door jingled weakly, cutting through the steady patter of rain. The smell of damp wool and espresso filled the air. Leo was rubbing a cloth over the counter, weariness a permanent ache in his bones, when he glanced toward the register. The man standing there had the same defined jaw, the same easy posture—but matured, solidified. Leo's fingers clenched the rag. His heart kicked against his ribs, and the bustling room fell silent. "you?" The name left him in a tremulous exhale, weighted with a decade of buried longing.